The Little Sprite
by DarthAnimus
Summary: The love shared by two souls from separate worlds open a path for their friends to find their chosen love as well as right wrongs of times past. YYY KJ BR MM
1. Duelling Magic

Author's Notes: I was actually planning on doing two separate fics; one with a Little Mermaid storyline and one with a magical school. In the end I got the brilliant idea to mix the two. So, almost half of this plot is a rip-off from Disney's Little Mermaid while half is my own creation. So, any ideas gotten from Little Mermaid aren't mine, and neither are the characters.

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 1**

**Duelling Magic**

_The theory of Duelling Magic is extremely difficult to put into practise, mostly because each individual experiences magic in a unique way. Because of this, descriptions of Magic or Power are often vague and even the best descriptions are extremely difficult to understand. However, during the generations scientists have been able to analyse the forms of magic in a satisfying manner. The true essence of Magic is still unknown but progress has been made. The 'Laws of Duelling Magic' are a series of realizations and thoughts of ancient wise men that have yet to have been proven to be incorrect._

_The first law of Duelling Magic is as following: Magic is sensations. This is the statement that all other laws have been based on. Because this law is the centre of all laws, it has been extremely difficult to create proper rules for magical duelling. Because Magic is considered sensations, there are not forbidden spells or elements that can not be used. This is the central problem of all duels. Because there are no ways to stop mages from using specific spells there is a wide variation of rules that handle the level of spells that can be used in specific duels. A spell that is of a high enough level to create physical agony or serious injury is considered a forbidden spell in every single circle. Spells that can kill one's opponent are also forbidden, even though this rule has a loophole; if a person dies during a duel because they used all of their Power, it is not considered a breach of the rules. Because of this it is very difficult to punish a possible rule breaker, since it is close to impossible to determine whether a person's death was caused by a spell or the overuse of their Power._

_Magical duelling can also be practised between more than just two people. The duels can also be fought with partners. In cases with four-people duels new laws come into play, the Laws of Dual Magic. These laws determine how well two people work together as partners, how well their Magics respond to each other and how well their Powers mix into a single Power._

_Dual Magic is even more difficult to determine than regular Duelling Magic, because new factors come into the equation. The usual laws of elements do not apply the same way as in two-people duels. Instead, the source of the Magic, the Power, determines the spell's strength and effectiveness. Because the union of Magic does not occur, two completely opposite elements should be able to work together._

"Argh", Yami groaned as he ran a hand through his spiky mane of hair. "This stuff is making my head hurt!" A snort was the only reply the frustrated teen got. Turning his crimson eyes to his companion he immediately took notice that the other was a lot farther ahead in the book that he was. And that annoyed him even more than the other's apparent amusement with his predicament.

"Mind telling me what's so amusing, Seto?" Yami drawled as he glared at his cousin and classmate. His efforts were wasted, however, since Seto did not even glance up from his book as he replied: "It's just a thought I had." The brunet smirked before continuing: "It's not really surprising that thinking would make your head hurt."

"Just shut up for once", Yami grunted as he rolled over to his back on the grass he was lying on. "I don't need this stuff. I'm strong enough to beat any opponent. Why do I need to pass some stupid theory exam?" He tossed the book he had been reading aside. "Even this book said that there isn't anything to learn theory-wise."

"You're simply unable to grasp the concept of the text", Seto replied before finally looking up from his book at Yami. "Don't think of the words, but their meaning. The point isn't to know the text inside and out, but to **understand** it." The brunet smirked again. "They actually want us to give simple answers that have our own thoughts to them."

"That doesn't make this studying any less frustrating", Yami argued as he looked up to the branches of the tree Seto was sitting against. "And what is there to gain if I do manage to pass?"

"We get to go to the more advanced classes", Seto replied simply. "We get to learn Dual Magic."

"But most aren't going to pass the test", Yami commented. "How are they going to get a large enough class?"

"They're putting the East Wing class together with the West Wing one." There was more than just a small undertone of distaste in Seto's voice as he said that. And Yami knew Seto long enough to know that such a clear display of distaste meant that the brunet was actually burning with disgust.

"We don't even know them", Yami commented on his cousin's tone of voice. "You can't hate them just because their quarters are on the other side of the school building."

"Oh, please", Seto groaned as he rolled his eyes. "Have you heard all the things people tell about the West Wing? They're brats who go around creating a ruckus for the fun of it. Almost all punishments for misuse of magic have gone to the ones who live in the West Wing."

Yami knew all of this, he was not stupid, deaf or blind. Every single time something even remotely interesting happened in Duelling Magic school of Lorestone it was always caused by the students of the West Wing. But, because the Lorestone manor was such a large building, Yami had never actually been able to be a part of the actions. Only a few of the east side had been able to participate, not that many wanted to. The East Wing was filled with children of powerful people who had gotten into the school with money, through connections, or they had been forced to study until they passed. Yami's father had been very insistent that Yami studied in Lorestone and, most importantly, in the East Wing in particular. Seto was pretty much in the same boat with him but unlike Yami, he was not putting up much of a fight.

"I wouldn't mind living in the West Wing", Yami said in an off-handed manner. To his satisfaction this earned a sputter from Seto just like all the other times before. He grinned widely as he met his cousin's furious blue gaze.

"Your father would have your head if he ever heard you say that", Seto hissed as he tried to glare Yami into submission. Yami's grin grew wider as he tried in vain to give his cousin a puppy-dog-eye look.

"But you wouldn't tell, would you, Seto-chan?" The look on Seto's face as Yami said that was priceless. There was an interesting blue shade on top of his nose as he said with a disturbed voice: "Never call me 'Seto-chan' again and I promise I won't tell a soul."

"You got yourself a deal then", Yami said as he rolled some more so that he was lying next to the sitting Seto. "Now, how about you help me study this gibberish?"

A clearly-faked exhausted sigh came from Seto, clearly fake because Seto never showed exhaustion, before the brunet said: "You are hopeless, Yami, you know that?"

&&&&&&&

"You are hopeless, Yugi, you know that?" amethyst eyes blinked in surprise at the thoroughly exhausted tone of voice Malik used when he spoke the words. A child-like face was turned upwards to a tanned, lavender-eyed boy with sun-paled platinum blond hair.

"What did I do now?" Yugi asked, smiling innocently at his taller friend. "Jiichan told me to go gather any possible fragments I could find in the forest."

"And he told me to come after you to make sure you didn't take a detour", Malik replied firmly, crossing his arms across his chest as he fixed Yugi with a scolding gaze. The innocent-eyed boy with wild hair only smiled at him again as he questioned: "And what detour might that possibly be?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Yugi", Malik commanded firmly. "I know all about your little escapades." He picked up one of the 'fragments' Yugi had gathered into the basket he was carrying. "About going to that strange building at the edge of the forest to try to see humans."

"I can't help it!" Yugi defended, even though his face was excited. Malik moved the palm-sized crystal-like item to his face and looked at Yugi through it. The gesture made his friend look completely blue to him. He was still in full attention, however, when Yugi went on: "Humans are so interesting. They have two small ears. How can they even hear anything with ears so small?" Yugi's own, cat-like ears twitched like they always did when the boy was excited about something. "I guess they actually can't, since no one has noticed me yet."

"Exactly, Yugi", Malik put in, finally able to cut off the smaller boy's tirade. "You said 'yet'. Someone is bound to notice you sooner or later. And when they notice you, they'll immediately know that you aren't human." As Malik said this he indicated to Yugi's appearance. In addition to the black cat ears Yugi also had a long, black-furred tail. The short boy's wrists were covered by silky black fur and there were claw-like nails at the ends of his fingers. Yugi was also levitating in mid-air, since it required a lot of effort of him to make gravity apply to him.

Malik had ears similar to Yugi's, except that they were a shade of reddish-orange with black tips. Malik also had a long tail but it was a lot thicker than Yugi's own and it's tip was white. Exactly like Yugi, Malik preferred not attempting to walk.

"I don't understand what you and Jiichan worry about", Yugi said as he swung his basket around a bit, the crystals of various colors reflecting sunlight in a manner that made them glisten like jewels. "What could one human do to me?" Yugi giggled as he levitated a bit higher. "They can't even touch me."

"It's confidence like that that causes people like us to get killed!" Malik argued as he levitated over to Yugi, reaching out his hand to grasp the other boy's arm. But Yugi disappeared right as he was about to grasp him, leaving behind glittery dust that fell onto the ground gently. Malik whirled around to see where his friend had teleported to. He located Yugi sitting on a tree branch not far away, or, sitting on the branch as much as it was possible to sit down when the laws of physics and gravity did not apply.

"You're such a child, Yugi", Malik said with a shake of his head. He was about to continue but was cut off by Yugi's loud exclamation: "Who are you calling a baby-face!" The loud screech causing the taller teen to cringe. Yugi had always been sensitive about his looks, hating the way he looked like he was five years younger than his real age.

"I didn't mean it like that, Yugi", Malik said in an effort to calm his friend down. "I merely said that you're naive."

"And how is that any better?" Yugi said with a pout that would have sent Malik down on his knees if he had not seen it so much. But, since Malik was used to the look, he grinned playfully as he replied: "It's better because it doesn't have anything to do with your appearance. You can always change your attitude." The grin widened until it showed Malik's sharp teeth. "Brilliant, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't say 'brilliant', exactly..." Yugi muttered as he scratched the side of his head. "I think 'maliky' would be a better description." The words brought a satisfied smile on Malik's face as the blond grinned widely. He had gotten his own word, that was not something just anyone could claim to have accomplished. He began to cackle to himself, completely missing the way Yugi rolled his eyes.

&&&&&&&

As Yami asked every single stupid question he could come up with, he managed to completely miss the way Seto's left brow kept twitching. Or then he did actually manage to notice it but merely pretended that he did not in order to get back at his cousin for being such a know-it-all. It was most likely the former. After all, no one would do such a thing to someone that was family, right? Exactly.

"Yami!" Seto exclaimed suddenly, slamming the book shut and hitting Yami upside the head with it. "No one is this stupid! Stop playing and study seriously!" As Yami rubbed his sore head Seto ran a hand through his brown hair in aggravation. "You're making me think you **don't** want to pass this test."

"What if I don't?" Yami said with a self-satisfied smirk but Seto decided to ignore him, turning his head around to look to the other side of the garden, where the rosebushes were. There, something caught his eye. Something that stood out from the dark green leaves and deep red blossoms. A flash of sunlight, reflected by golden hair. But before Seto could decide if it really was someone's hair he saw, it was gone in a blink of an eye. Seto frowned. Whatever it had been, it disappeared so quickly that the brunet decided he must have imagined it.

"-eto?" Seto blinked when he heard Yami's voice, turning his slightly startled face to his cousin who was looking at him with slight worry. "What's up? You don't usually zone out like that."

Seto shook his head in response, stealing at sideways glance at the rosebushes but when he saw nothing he turned his attention completely to Yami and his queries and responded: "It's nothing. I simply needed a rest from your blabbering."

This time the book hit Seto to the forehead, starting a smacking contest between the two cousins that soon turned into a wrestling match.

&&&&&&&

Unseen by the two fighting boys a figure clutched at the front of his shirt tightly, panting heavily from being startled so thoroughly. He had never expected the brown-haired boy to look right at his direction. Hopefully the other had not seen him or, worse yet, recognized him. He slowly released the hold he had on his shirt, keeping the fabric from getting even more wrinkled. He used his now-free hand to brush some blond locks away from his eyes as he peered around the rosebush once more, making sure that the teen boy had forgotten all about his presence. Noticing that the pair of cousins was completely distracted by their match he turned back around a scurried off through the garden.

_**To be continued...**_


	2. Laws of Magic

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 2**

**Laws of Magic**

_Two people with exactly same elemental attributes and magical capabilities start learning magic at the same time. Person A learns to master spells almost immediately while person B needs a large amount of tutoring in order to master a simple spell. How do you explain this?_

A frustrated sigh escaped from Yami when he thought about the question. Why did the teachers have to make the questions so long? And did they have to use such annoying words as 'attribute' and 'capability'? With another sigh Yami glanced to his side and looked at the person sitting in the farthest side of the classroom. Seto's eyes were locked on the test paper in front of him as he wrote with a speed that made it look like his pencil was flying across his exam sheet. Both the familiar sight and past experiences told Yami that the brunet was going to get a yet another hundred percent correct. Yami looked at his paper again and tapped his pen on the top corner. He and his cousin shared an extremely active competitive streak. If there was a way to compare results in anything, they would make it into a contest. So far Yami had never been able to beat Seto in written exam results but the star-haired youth could easily beat his cousin in a one-on-one match in Magic.

Reading the question one more time, putting some effort into it this time, Yami realized that this was exactly the sam thing he had been reading the previous afternoon. Now, if he could only remember what it was that Seto had tried to drill into his head most of their study session, then maybe he could actually pass this test.

_Because each person experiences magic differently, they might not recognize the magic the same way as another person would. In my opinion person A is more accepting of foreign sensations, allowing him to gain access to his magic easier than person B._

Yami leaned back in his seat to look at his answer once more. It was short, but got the point across. He leaned back over his test to read the next question.

_What is the first law of Duelling Magic?_

Slowly, a grin made its way to Yami's lips. This was not as hard as he had thought. The crimson-eyed boy began to write. 'Advanced class, here I come!'

&&&&&&&

"So..." Seto started when the two walked out of the exam hall. "Will I finally be rid of your aggravating presence for the rest of my compulsory studies here?" There was a sly smirk tugging on the brunet's lips, a smirk Yami wanted to wipe off, even if for only a temporary interval.

"Just so you know, I actually did pretty well", Yami stated firmly with his hands on his hips. A threatening gesture, from a female yes, but Seto knew better than to comment on his cousin's body language. Last time he had done so he had woken up the next morning feeling rather unmanly himself. Seto preferred not to think about that event.

"Well, it would be embarrassing for me as well if you failed", Seto commented with slight mirth in his voice. "After all, then there would be something wrong with my teaching skills."

"Right", Yami agreed in a sarcastic tone. "And we both know how **flawless** you are."

The sarcasm did not seem to have any effect on Seto. No wonder, since he was the one who had developed sarcasm on a level that could be considered a way of life. The brunet flashed Yami one of his more vicious smiles and drawled: "Exactly."

Yami was not impressed. He huffed softly as he glanced back at the classroom door, muttering in a off-handed manner: "Do you think Anzu passed? She always does better with written assignments."

It was a well-known fact that Seto could not care less about Anzu's possible success in an exam, he did not care about the girl in general, but when Yami did not receive any response he still glared at his cousin. He was not going to be ignored just because Seto was not in the mood for small talk. But Seto did not see the glare directed at him, he was looking at something behind Yami, his gaze focused over his cousin's outrageous mane of hair. Yami briefly contemplated if jumping up and down and blocking Seto's vision would get him his cousin's attention but he ended up deciding against the action. There was no need to press the fact that he was shorter than the brunet. Yami instead turned around to see whatever it was that had his cousin's attention.

Two boys were walking with widely animated movements by the wall, not too far away from the pair of cousins. One of the boy's hand long, pearly white hair and murky brown eyes. The other boy also had brown eyes, but they were a deep chocolate color. He also had wild hair, not as wild as Yami's though, that was a dark color of blond that reflected the sunlight coming from the windows in a golden shade. The blond-haired boy was the one doing most of the talking while the white-haired one threw in a few comments and released a laugh every now and then.

A devious thought came to Yami's mind as he watched the two boys. One of the duo had completely captured his cousin's attention, but which one? Well, there was only one way to find out; to ask.

"Hey, Seto!" Yami spoke in a completely exaggerated loud voice. "What are you looking at?"

Yami felt Seto jump next to him at the sudden and loud words. The two boy had also turned their eyes to them and Yami watched with fascination as the blond one blushed a bright scarlet and grabbed his companion's arm, tugging the other off hurriedly. Still grinning widely Yami turned his head back to his cousin to see Seto glaring at him with intensity Yami had not before known his cousin capable of.

"Was it the blond one?" Yami asked, like he had not just embarrassed the brunet in front of him and the glare was not really there. "Then I say that you might have some chances." He actually dared to smirk at his boiling companion. "And here I though you were completely immune to hormones." He nudged the taller teen with his elbow. "And he's not even bad to look at."

Yami should have known better. He should have known his cousin well enough to expect it. Then he would not have been so surprised when the taller boy punched him square in the jaw and stomped off with a dark cloud following him right above his head.

If it had been any other person, Yami would not have been worried, since anyone else would have forgiven him easily. Seto was a different story, however. The brunet was good at many things and one of them was holding a grudge.

Hopefully Yami would not end up waking with some nasty surprise the next morning.

&&&&&&&

Yugi could not help but giggle with glee. He had managed to lose Malik completely that morning, and now he was free to go wherever he pleased. And he was going to pay a visit to the large house right outside of the forest. There were plenty of opportunities to watch humans there and they were always in such a hurry that there was no threat of Yugi being discovered.

In no time the bright walls of the school building came to Yugi's view and he quickly chose a tree with a lot of leaves and hid among the branches. Once properly concealed Yugi pushed a few leaves aside and eyed the garden that opened before him. There were many students outside, all dressed in similar outfits. Yugi figured that it was a sign of them all belonging into the same tribe. They all wore outfits that were mostly blue but had red trimmings with a few flashes of gold. Yugi guessed that blue and red were the tribe colors.

The sound of footsteps had Yugi glancing down to see one of the humans walk right below the tree he was hiding in. The human immediately caught Yugi's attention. He had a wild, dark mane of hair that was almost exactly like Yugi's, except that it had blond stripes going along it, like spikes of a crown. One of the braches jerked a bit because Yugi had been gripping it so hard and the human turned his gaze up. The human's eyes were unlike anything else Yugi had ever seen; they shone a deep red color that was darker than any fragment Yugi had ever seen. The small boy let out an involuntary gasp at the sight.

"Who's there?" the human asked with a deep voice that sounded extremely serene to Yugi's ears. A wide, happy smile came to Yugi's face as he responded: "My name is Yugi. I live in the forest."

"In the forest?" the human questioned, his tone both slightly incredulous and curious. "There aren't any humans living there. There's too much magic."

"Who said I'm a human?" Yugi asked with a playful giggle.

"Then..." the human started, his eyes wide. "Then you're a...sprite? A magical being?"

"Hmm..." Yugi hummed in a teasing manner. "Maybe..." Another giggle escaped from him. "I'll tell you if you tell me your name."

"It's Yami", the human replied while trying to peer through the leaves. "Can I see you?"

"Sorry", Yugi said honestly. "I shouldn't even be talking to you. Letting you see me would be an even bigger breach of the rules." Yugi smiled as he observed Yami's face some more. "But as for your question; I think sprite is the human word for our kind." Yugi waved his feet around a bit, noticing that Yami's eyes followed the movement. "We don't have a word to describe what we are."

"That can get a bit difficult over time, I believe", Yami commented. Yugi shrugged, and then remembered that Yami could not see the gesture and spoke up: "It's difficult to say. We don't exactly try to set ourselves apart from the other occupants of the woods."

"I guess that makes sense", Yami said in a reasonable manner. "It's not like the squirrels come to ask you what you are."

Yugi watched Yami intently as the human spoke and suddenly he wanted to show himself to the other boy, even though he had never wanted to reveal himself to a human before. The sprite wondered why it was so and once more his eyes focused on Yami's piercing ones.

"Yami..." Yugi spoke, a bit of uncertainty creeping into his voice. Yami lifted a questioning eyebrow and Yugi blushed as he continued: "I think you're really pretty..." Even though Yugi wanted to show himself to Yami he was at that moment glad that the leaves covered his embarrassed face.

Yami looked surprised as well, and Yugi thought he saw a faint pink hue on the tan cheeks before the human started speaking: "You're awfully straightforward, Yugi. How old are you exactly?"

An angry scowl crossed Yugi's face as he huffed at his companion: "I'm sixteen!"

"Oh", Yami said with a nervous laugh. "You're awfully open for someone who's sixteen." He gave Yugi a pleasant smile. "Not that it's a bad thing or anything. I, for one, find it rather appealing."

"Okay", Yugi said, his temper calmed now. Then he looked over to the large building beyond the garden. "What is this place?" he asked from Yami. "Is this a human commune?"

"Commune?" Yami questioned with a mirthful laugh. "No, even though many might consider it to be. This is a school." Yami paused for a moment and then looked at Yugi strangely. "You do know what a school is, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Yugi snapped with an angry blush. "I'm not **that** ignorant!" What was with everyone always thinking that he did not know anything at all when he showed slight lack of information? If he did not know what someone was talking about, he would ask.

"Okay, okay", Yami said with a nervous smile. "I never said you were. I simply don't have any idea how many of our words are familiar to you." Yami scratched his head. "So...it's a school, like I said. We learn magic there." Yami grinned at Yugi. "There's a lot of magic in this area, so this was a good place to build a magic school to. Even so, I never expected to run into any magical beings here, other than the victims of practical jokes in school hallways." Yami laughed at that, the comment apparently holding some amusement to the boy. "There is of course a slight difference in the magic we use and the magic in the forest. At school we study easily controlled, leashed magic, whereas the forest if full of so-called 'raw magic', or Power. It sometimes leaks into the air, crystallizing and becoming something we call spirit stone."

"Spirit stone?" Yugi repeated in a questioning manner. "I haven't heard that word before."

"It looks like colored glass, it's transparent and can be any variation of bright colors", Yami explained. "It's solid magic."

"Oh!" Yugi exclaimed in realization. "You're talking about fragments!" Yugi giggled in joy of finally knowing what the human was talking about. "Fragments help us do many things. They give us new abilities." Yugi glanced down at Yami to see a strange smile on the human's thin lips. "What?"

"It's nothing", Yami said with a wave of his hand. Yugi let out a threatening hiss and the other boy started speaking again: "I just think you have a nice laugh, that's all." The human gave Yugi a sly smile through the leaves. "You must be a true cherub to have such a lovely laugh."

"What's a cherub?" Yugi asked curiously and immediately saw Yami's face fall. The human only shook his head and said: "I was simply saying that your laughter sounds like the chiming of small bells."

Yugi smiled widely, even though Yami could not see the joy he felt. Wanting to let the other know how happy he had made the sprite Yugi giggled again and said: "Thank you. I like your laugh as well. Your whole voice, actually."

Yami looked like he was about to comment on Yugi's words but as soon as the human had opened his mouth to speak, a new voice rang in the air: "Yami, what the heck do you think you're doing?"

While Yami quickly whirled around to face the new arrival Yugi froze in fear. Had someone heard them talking? Had Yugi's presence been revealed? if that was the case then he would never be allowed near humans again, especially Yami. And that was only if he managed to escape without being caught by the humans.

_**To be continued...**_


	3. Strongest Emotions

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 3**

**Strongest Emotions**

Yami whirled around quickly, subconsciously readying himself for a face-off. His posture relaxed, though, when he recognized the new arrival. He was still slightly on the edge, however, when Seto stopped right in front of him.

"Well?" the brunet questioned with a lifted eyebrow. "Are you going to answer my question?"

"I was just wandering around", Yami said defensively, hoping that Seto had not noticed him talking to a tree.

"You've been 'wandering around' for three hours you idiot!" Seto huffed heatedly. "I've been running around this garden looking for you for an **hour**!"

"Aww, were you worried about me?" Yami asked while batting is eyelashes at the brunet. Nope, Seto never worried and he most certainly had **not** been running around trying to find Yami. Most likely the brunet had been doing a lazy stroll around the plant life, kicking at a few bushes just in case they happened to be Yami's head in disguise.

"As if", Seto growled and grabbed Yami's arm. "If I was worried about something, I was worried of what our fathers would say if I lost you." With that the brunet began dragging the shorter teen off. "Your mother is waiting for a call."

Yami tried to pull away for his cousin but Seto's grip was just too strong for him to break. He tried to complain, to tell his cousin to wait, but what could he have said? That he wanted to be alone with his new tree friend some more? He could not just go and tell Seto about Yugi. Yami glanced over his shoulder at the tree where he knew Yugi was hiding among the leaves and branches. He wanted to say goodbye to the Sprite and ask him if he maybe wanted to meet again. With a hard yank Seto pulled Yami around a bush and the tree disappeared from his sight.

With a regretful sigh Yami turned his gaze to the back of his cousin's head, wondering what had the brunet in such a foul mood. Of course, Seto was always in a foul mood but this was even worse than what was usual for the brunet. Surely Seto could not still be mad about that stunt Yami pulled after the test? If that was the case then the brunet would not have bothered to come looking for Yami. he would have wanted to stay as far away from the other teen as possible in order to plot his demise.

"Hey, Seto", Yami spoke and only got a grunt in reply. Used to this kinds of reactions from his cousin, Yami went ahead and asked his question: "What has you acting even more like a female with PMS than usual?" Okay, now that may not have been the best way to form his question but then again, Seto would have been more likely to rip his head off if he showed the brunet that he was actually concerned.

As Yami expected, Seto did not go into a violent fit of rage and gave him a uttered answer instead. Even though Yami barely understood a word of the fast mumbling that was colored by a wide variety of creative curses. But Yami did make out something about perverted albinos who could not keep their hands off other people's puppies.

In the end Yami decided that he did not want to know any details.

&&&&&&&

"So..." a white-haired boy drawled out as soon as his blond friend lied down in the grass. "What do you think Kaiba was looking at?" The other teen shrugged and the albino sat down beside him. "Are you meaning to tell me that you aren't curious?"

"He was probably just ignoring Yami", came the blond's reply, the tone actually sounding disappointed. "I mean, Kaiba never stares at anyone."

"But Yami was looking at us, as if to see our reactions", the albino insisted. "I say something fishy was going on."

"Bakuraa..." the blond whined as he closed his chocolate-colored eyes. "What does it matter? It's not like we actually know them..."

"It will matter if we all passed that test", Bakura commented. "If that's the case then we will be taking the same Dual Magic class."

"**If** we all passed the test", the teen lying down grunted. "I hardly doubt my results were all that good."

"Damn it, Jou!" Bakura hissed as he quickly reached out and yanked on a handful of his friend's golden locks, earning a pained yelp for the gesture. "Stop being so depressing! Even if you aren't the brightest student you're far from being the worst one. Calm down and just...relax."

"Calm down and relax are the same thing", Jou mumbled and rolled to his side with his back facing Bakura. "And could **you** stop giving me false hope? I'm stupid and I am not interesting in the least."

"Is this about Kaiba again?" Bakura questioned before leaning over his friend's body and placing his hands on the ground in front of the other's chest, trying to see the blond's face. "I swear, every time you see him you become so miserable. It's always 'I'm not enough this' and 'I'm not enough that'. Why are you so insecure when Kaiba is in the picture? Rest of the time your confidence bounces off the walls."

Jou finally rolled over, his eyes locking with Bakura's own once more. There was a small flush of embarrassment on the normally bronze cheeks and Bakura had to resist the urge to take out a pen and paper to write down what he was about to hear. Because that look on Jou's face always meant that he was about to get some darn good blackmail material.

A soft sound escaped from Jou and Bakura realized that Jou was not going to speak above a whisper in order to avoid being overheard. Bakura cast aside the thought of pointing out that the blond was already telling his secret to the worst possible person in the entire school and merely leaned in closer to hear whatever it was that had Jou in such a state of shame and low self-esteem.

"What the **hell** do you two think you're doing?" a voice suddenly bellowed across the garden. Bakura and Jou both snapped their heads up but Jou lowered his immediately afterwards, his cheeks adorning a new crimson shade. Bakura paid no attention to his friend's distress, though. He was busy glaring at the same exact brunet they had been talking about a moment ago.

"What's your problem, Kaiba?" Bakura snarled and immediately got a two times more vicious snarl back: "A public place is no place to molest your lover! Just back away and I won't inform any teachers of your obscene activities."

"Molest?" Bakura questioned with a twitch. The brunet thought he was molesting Jou? Why the heck would he think Bakura was doing something like that? Unless... Bakura smirked. Unless the brunet was jealous, of course.

"Hey, Jou", Bakura whispered to the blond covering almost against his chest. "Look at Kaiba. You just have to see that look." There was a mumbled 'no' from Jou and before Bakura could convince the bond to decide otherwise Kaiba already continued: "Didn't you hear me? Find some other place for your make-out session!"

"We aren't making out!" Bakura yelled back at the brunet. Then he smirked and pulled Jou flush against him. "Yet." Kaiba spluttered something unflattering and Bakura could not resist one more jab: "What's the matter, Kaiba? Jealous?"

That was apparently the last straw, since Kaiba stormed off in a manner that would have made any hurricane jealous. Bakura actually thought he heard thunder roaring somewhere in the distance when Kaiba disappeared further into the depths of the garden.

Smirking to himself in a very pleased manner Bakura released his hold on Jou and leaned back away from the blond slightly.

"Okay, he's gone now", Bakura said with a grin. "Now tell me why the hell do you always want to know if Kaiba's looking at you but in the end you just aren't up to hanging around to find out?" The look on the albino's face turned vicious. "Like this morning, for instance. You pulled me off as soon as you noticed that Yami was paying attention on us. And just now you refused to look at Kaiba." Bakura reached out and grabbed one of Jou's shoulders. "What's the big deal?"

"I'm scared, okay?" Jou replied hurriedly, his eyes shining with emotion. "I'm just so scared that he's looking at me with disgust or hate. I don't think I could handle that, you know?" The blond's cheeks were once more the same rosy shade they gained every time he was feeling vulnerable or embarrassed as the deep brown eyes turned their gaze to the grass, unable to meet Bakura's own steady look any longer.

Bakura was struck speechless. He had not realized that Jou felt so strongly about Kaiba. He had always thought his friend was simply lusting after the brunet's body, but then again, Jou had never actually been so shallow. Bakura scratched the back of his head. He had never been in the same situation as the blond so he had no idea how to go about comforting his friend. Well, he could always try the one method of comfort he knew of.

"So..." Bakura started with a nervous grin. "You want consolation sex?"

The next thing Bakura knew he was lying on the grass with the clouds spinning around in front of his eyes. He also had a massive ache on his chin but he still refused to believe his blond companion had punched him before stomping off. After all, as long as there were no eyewitnesses, he could fool himself. And if there was a witness or two, they might just disappear during the night. Bakura had a reputation for not being caught unawares, and he would uphold that reputation.

Still, Jou could have just said 'no'...

&&&&&&&

"Malik! Malik!" Malik looked up at the hurried shouts of his name. He turned his head to see Yugi floating towards him at top speed, face alight with excitement. That was the one look Malik treaded to see on his friend's face, mostly because only something that had to do with humans could bring about that look.

"Damn it, Yugi", Malik growled when his smaller companion stopped in front of him. "I told you not to go there but you just had to go see the humans, didn't you?"

Yugi blinked confusedly at Malik before asking: "How did you know where I've been?"

"Well, let's see", came Malik's sarcastic response. "I might have had something to do with the fact that you sneaked off without telling me or the fact that only something weird human thing can make you smile that wide."

"Yami is not a weird human thing!" Yugi immediately snapped with such heat that it left Malik staring at his usually much more timid friend with a dumbfounded expression.

"And what might this Yami be?" Malik asked with a lifted eyebrow after he had recovered from the shock. "Is it some sort of a human game?" That would explain his friend's strong reaction. Yugi absolutely adored the games humans had thought up thorough the generations. When a slight blush appeared on Yugi's pale cheeks Malik immediately felt dread rise up his spine. Studying his friend in a suspicious manner the blond drawled: "Let me guess... This 'Yami' isn't a 'what' at all, is it?" When Yugi's blush darkened Malik's eyes narrowed as he finished: "Yami is a 'who', am I correct?"

"He was so nice to me!" Yugi exclaimed defensively, his eyes shining with emotion. "He's nothing like any of the human stories I've heard. He's kind and he is so handsome!"

"Handsome?" Malik repeated incredulously. "Don't tell me you have a crush on a human!" The blond glanced around, making sure that no one was nearby to listen in before turning his gaze back to Yugi. "What would your grandfather say if he found out? Or anyone else at that matter?"

"Jiichan is just overprotective of me", Yugi said with an indignant sniff. "And everyone else are just narrow-minded."

"Yugi..." Malik attempted in a weak tone. "Your grandfather has all the reason to. Or have you forgotten that the reason you don't have parent is humans?"

"My parents disappeared!" Yugi snapped. "There's no proof that humans captured them. And besides..." Yugi turned his gaze to the sky. "Maybe they know what happened to them...those at the school..."

"School?" Malik questioned. "Is that what that place is? That's the biggest school I've ever seen." The blond then gave his head a furious shake. "Even if it's only a school you might still get hurt. What if one of the teachers sees you?" The blond paused for a moment. "Wait a minute. You didn't show yourself to this Yami person, did you?" When Yugi shook his head Malik released a relieved sigh. "Good. Because if you had, then you really would be in for some trouble if one of the adults found out about your little adventure."

Yugi's face brightened at Malik's words as the star-haired youth asked: "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I'm saying that your secret is safe with me", Malik answered simply. "I'm not going to go tell." As soon as he had said that Malik was almost thrown back by a squealing Yugi hugging the living daylights out of him, all the while repeating: "Thank you, thank you, thank you", over and over again. Malik petted his friend's spiky head, smiling fondly at the shorter boy before forcing himself to stay firm as he said: "But only as long as you won't go this far again. If I find out that you have shown yourself to this Yami or some other human, then I'm going straight to Sugoroku." Malik pushed Yugi away from him, looking deeply into the amethyst depths and clutching the other sprite's shoulders firmly. "Do you understand what I'm saying Yugi?"

"Yes I do", Yugi said with a series of quick nods. Then the giddiness seemed to disappear from the smaller boy. "I don't even know if I **will** be able to see Yami again. He was dragged off by a really scary-looking human so we did not get a chance to agree on a new meeting." There was a slight quiver in Yugi's voice as he finished: "I just wish I could see him one more time."

Malik studied Yugi's forlorn expression for a while, sinking deep into serious contemplation. Finally the blond sighed and spoke: "Okay. We'll go there together, but we have to stay hidden. I'm sure that if this Yami wants to meet you again we will run into him in a few days." He reached out and lifted Yugi's head up from below his chin. "I can't have my little cohort in such a state of miserable depression, now can I?"

A bright smile grazed Yugi's features once more right before he gave Malik another tight hug.

"Thanks Malik, you're the best", the small sprite spoke quietly. Malik petted his hair once more as he replied: "Of course I'm the best. I even have my own word and all."

_**To be continued...**_


	4. Pieces of My Heart

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 4**

**Pieces of My Heart**

Bakura kicked the grass as he walked through the garden, a deep frown covering his face. It had already been a day since Jou punched him and still the sandy blond had not calmed down. Bakura had always thought that his friend was not capable of keeping a grudge for long but apparently he had been wrong about that. Still, Bakura would not allow that to ruin his mood. It was not like he needed the blond in order to have fun. He could do a lot of things on his own. He simply needed to figure out what those things were.

Without noticing it Bakura wandered to the very edge of the garden, all the way to the row of trees that separated the garden from the forest beyond. The trees were more a marker than an actual barrier, since there was much room between the tree trunks to slip by. Still, students rarely came to these parts, since there was so much raw magic in the air. The forest was filled with untameable magical energy. This was the reason it was called Aura Forest, because of the magical aura surrounding every living thing in the forest. Some scientists had even determined that the ground itself was alive in Aura Forest.

Not wanting to get a douse of the pure Power crackling around himself, Bakura turned to leave. That was when he saw it.

There was a boy a little further down the valley of trees. And not just any boy, since this one seemed to be floating in mid-air. There was also something else off about him. He had soft-looking, sun-dyed blond hair that landed right over his shoulders. From among the pale stresses rose a pair of fiery orange ears with black tips. The boy was dressed in a pale lavender tunic and a long tail came to Bakura's sight from below the piece of garment. The tail was thick and the same red color as the boy's ears, but it had a white tip. It was a perfectly groomed fox's tail. The boy's wrists and ankles were covered in a thin layer of red fur that spread on the backs of his hands and on the tops of his feet.

Suddenly the boy's head snapped up and a pair of lavender eyes looked straight into Bakura's brown ones. In a flash the furred boy disappeared among the tree branches that spread out above him.

"Wait!" Bakura called after the strange creature. He hurriedly made his way below the tree. "I won't harm you. I just want to know what you are."

There was silence for a few moments before the strange boy's head peeked out from between the leaves, the bright eyes glaring heatedly at Bakura as the blond spoke: "You weren't supposed to see me in the first place."

"Uhh...sorry?" Bakura offered, scratching the back of his head. Then he offered the boy his hand. "My name is Bakura. I'm a student here."

The blond boy glared at Bakura a while longer before drawling slowly: "Malik..."

"It's nice to meet you Malik", Bakura said, hoping that acting polite would get the strange boy to loosen up. "Do you live in the forest? Are you a kitsune? A shape-changing fox?"

"I'm not a fox", Malik replied simply. "I'm a sprite." The boy shot Bakura a glare that was not as intense as the previous ones. "I think it's obvious that I live in the forest, don't you think?"

"Ah", Bakura said with a nod. "I was just making sure." The albino paused for a moment. "I thought sprites were just a myth."

"And kitsune aren't?" Malik questioned with amusement clear in his voice. Bakura merely hmphed.

"Malik? Did you find him yet?" a new voice called suddenly. Bakura and Malik both turned to the direction of the voice to see a small boy. Like Malik, this boy was also levitating in mid-air. He had two triangle-shaped, black ears sticking out of his wild mane of hair, that was a black color, flashing in scarlet. Gold bangs framed a child-like face as wide, amethyst-colored eyes watched the duo with curiosity. The new boy was wearing a yellow tunic and had a long, slim black tail swinging behind his legs. He also had fur covering the backs of his hands and his feet but unlike Malik's, his fur was black like his tail and ears.

"Who are you?" the small cat-like boy asked from Bakura. "Are you being mean to Malik?"

"This is Bakura", Malik answered the small boy in Bakura's place. "He says he's a student here. He might be able to help us, don't you think?"

The small boy's face brightened at Malik's words and he quickly flew over to Bakura, grabbing the albino's hand in an enthusiastic handshake.

"My name is Yugi, Bakura-san. Will you help us?"

"Umm..." Bakura mumbled, not sure what to answer the seemingly hyper sprite. "Depends on what I have to do."

"We're looking for a human boy named Yami", Malik spoke as he came out of his haven among the tree leaves. "Do you know where we can find him?"

"Sure thing", Bakura said with a nod. He turned around and pointed to the East side of the garden. "There is a pine in that direction. It's larger than any other tree there. Yami likes to lounge beneath it." It seemed that it actually was useful to have your best friend obsessed with the cousin of a hedgehog-haired weirdo.

"Thank you so much Bakura-san", Yugi said with a happy smile that almost had Bakura covering before its cuteness. Then the boy shook Bakura's hand once more and took off like a rocket in the direction that had been pointed to him.

"Yeah, thanks", Malik spoke in a nonchalant manner. "I guess you aren't such a bad guy. For a human, I mean." And with that the blond boy flew off as well.

Bakura scratched his head. What the heck, he would face Jou's wrath. He needed to go to their room. He felt that he seriously needed to sleep on this.

&&&&&&&

Yami yawned widely as he observed the garden before him sleepily. Beside him, sprawled out and with a book in front of his face, was Seto sleeping away all the stress preparing for the exam had caused. Yami was considering following his lead but then Seto would be angry with hi if he ever found out. Yami was supposed to keep any and all wandering girls away from the sleeping brunet. Even though Yami felt that his cousin did not deserve a favour that big from him he had decided to do it. Because then he could use it as leverage to get one of his own demands through to the brunet.

"Yami?" a hesitant voice questioned suddenly. The teen in question blinked, wondering if he had actually let a fan girl sneak into his personal space. Then he realized that the voice was male and familiar.

"Yugi?" Yami whispered as he looked up. He could make out a blurry figure among the leaves.

"I found you Yami", Yugi said with that delighted giggled of his. Yami found himself smiling.

"So it seems you did", he said and, glancing quickly at the sleeping Seto, continued: "We have to be quiet so that Seto doesn't wake up."

"Okay", Yugi replied silently. "I just wanted to see you again. I might not be able to for a while." Yami was about to question what the boy meant when a third voice joined the conversation: "'For a while'? Try 'never again'." The tone sounded slightly angered.

"Who's that?" Yami asked as he tried to glare at the second figure that he had only then noticed. "And what are you talking about?"

"I'm a friend of Yugi's", the new voice replied. "And I'm here to make sure that you two say your goodbyes before I take Yugi back home with me."

"What?" Yami questioned incredulously. "You mean I won't see him again?" Yami turned his attention to his little cherub. "Yugi, is he telling the truth?"

"Yes", replied the tearful voice of the little sprite. "I want you to have this." A small item was dropped into Yami's lap. Yami glanced down to see that it was a small, golden pyramid-shaped necklace.

"Thank you Yugi", Yami spoke in a silent whisper. "But what will I be able to give you back?"

"I'll take anything as long as you have graced it with your touch", Yugi replied sweetly and Yami felt his chest grow tight. He could not believe that he would not see Yugi again after only meeting the other and growing closer to him than anyone else. Yami picked up one of his schoolbooks.

"We study magic with these texts", Yami spoke as he stood up and handed the book among the leaves. "Read them to get closer to me."

A small hand reached out from among the leaves and grasped the book. A small droplet that was definitely a tear fell on Yami's hand as Yugi's voice whispered quietly: "I'll read it always." Then the hand disappeared back among the leaves. "Good bye, Yami."

"Good bye, Yugi", Yami whispered back. There was a sound that reminded Yami of wind blowing through a hole in a wall and then there was silence. Yugi and his mysterious companion were gone.

&&&&&&&

"Hey, Jou?" Bakura questioned carefully as he peeked into the room. There was a grunt from the bunk on the far side of the room, a sign that the blond was, indeed, present. It did not sound too angered so Bakura dared to ask: "You're not going to be throwing any more punches at me, are you?"

"No, but if you won't stop overreacting I'll throw a pillow at you", Jou shot back and yawned loudly.

Bakura walked into the room, closing the door behind him. Jou was sprawled on his back in his bed, eyes heavily lidded. It was either a sign of extreme boredom or exhaustion.

"If you were going to take a nap, you should close the curtains", Bakura suggested as he walked to the other side of the room, to his own bed. His comment was answered with a sound that was a mix of a grunt and a yawn, before Jou spoke: "What are you doing here? You're usually somewhere wreaking havoc this time of the day."

"Havoc and chaos aren't much fun alone", Bakura replied. "I need someone there to take the blame." Bakura grinned. "How about it? Will you be my scapegoat?"

"Never again will I go with you anywhere", Jou growled dangerously. "I still haven't forgotten that scheme with the vanilla-scented body cream."

"Which one of them?" Bakura frowned thoughtfully. "I've done quite the few pranks with that stuff."

"The one with the headmaster and East Wing head teacher", Jou offered in an aggravated tone.

"Oh! That one!" Bakura exclaimed as his eyes shone with realization. "That was the time when you ended up having to deal with the punishment, since you were my lookout." An actually happy smile spread on Bakura's face. "Such wonderful memories."

"Don't forget that it was also the first time you were caught", Jou pointed out. "You were dragged into detention with me a couple of hours later."

"Oh, yeah", Bakura said with another frown. "That wasn't fun."

"You're so weird..." Jou mumbled. Bakura glared at the blond head of his friend before shooting back: "You're even weirder. No one else has ever flipped that much from my offer of sex." Bakura flicked a few of his white locks over one shoulder in an expression of being hurt. "No one had refused me before either."

"Forget weird, you're crude. And a pervert as well", Jou bit as he sat up to glare at Bakura openly. "Not to mention you're insensitive."

"Have you been reading the dictionary while I was avoiding you?" Bakura questioned and ended up having to jump down on the floor in order to dodge a pillow thrown by Jou. "Ha! You missed!" The next pillow hit Bakura right in the face before the albino could even react. Bakura picked the offending object up and whirled it in Jou's direction, who caught it in his hands easily. Bakura huffed angrily before sitting back down on his bed and speaking again: "What was so insensitive about it? I was offering you **comfort**, by lords."

"Well I don't need that kind of comfort", Jou snapped heatedly as he glowered at Bakura nastily. "I'm saving myself."

"What, for Kaiba?" Bakura snorted incredulously. "I swear, I never thought you were such a prude."

"I'd rather be a prude than a perverted sex-maniac", Jou bit back. "Now was there something important that you had to say to me or do I have to get violent with you again to have you off my back?"

"Hey hey!" Bakura exclaimed, waving his hands in a disarming gesture. "No need to be so pissy. I just saw something really weird today and figured I needed a rest."

"Oh?" Jou's tone sounded interested as he tilted his head to the side. "What did you see?"

"If I told you, you'd think I was crazy", Bakura mumbled. That got him a laugh from Jou before the blond said: "I've thought you to be crazy the whole time I've known you. Which makes..." Jou pretended to think as he tapped on his chin with a finger. "Oh, yeah! Two years, ever since I started studying here and we became roommates."

"And you haven't once thought me as nothing but crazy?" Bakura asked with lifted eyebrows. Then he smiled in a pleased manner. "Sweet."

"Just a moment ago you **didn't** want me to think you crazy..." Jou muttered as he laid back down. "Talk about being bipolar..."

"At least I'm not a hormonally imbalanced female", Bakura barked back with a grin that was all teeth. He barely had enough time to be surprised when Jou shouted: "That's it! You! Dead!" and jumped on him, from across the room, sending them both tumbling to the floor.

It was these kinds of bonding experiences that helped Bakura understand why he had become friends with a short-fused person like Jou.

_**To be continued...**_

Ending Notes: I feel bad about what I did to Yami and Yugi...If it's any consolation; I think I might be able to get Ryou introduced in the next chapter.


	5. Where Your Heart Lies

Author's Notes: Fanfic Adic asked if this story was going to be BakuraxMalik or if it was going to have the hikarixyami pairings and KaiJou. Actually, I was thinking about throwing in a MalikxBakuraxJou threesome. Just kidding! As stated in the summary, Kaiba will be with Jou, Yami with Yugi, Bakura with Ryou and Malik with Marik. Just as soon as I get Ryou and Marik into this story. Yeah, no Ryou in this chapter yet, sorry about that.

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 5**

**Where Your Heart Lies**

_"Yami?"_

Yami faintly registered the voice that had been calling his name for a while now but did not really notice it as he rested his head on his arms which had been folded across his desk. A book lay open before him; a new one, since he had given his previous one to Yugi.

Yugi. The faceless sprite who had captured Yami's attention and heart. Yami was certain that he would do anything to see the sweet boy again. In the longing atmosphere Yami never noticed the shadow that appeared over his left arm and half of the book. There was a storm brewing right beside him and Yami was too far gone to notice a thing.

_"Yami, if you don't stop ignoring me this instant, I'll be forced to use drastic measures."_

A heavy sigh escaped from Yami as he buried his head further into his arms, hoping to hide away from the world. The excitement he had felt only a few days ago over the magic exam seemed so far away at the moment. Now Yami did not think he would care even if he found out that he had failed at the test so spectacularly that he would be kicked out of the school.

_"Okay, be that way... But don't say I did not give you a fair warning..."_

It would probably be better if Yami got himself kicked out of the school. Then he could leave and travel into the Aura Forest to find Yugi. He wanted to see what his precious sprite looked like, he wanted to hear that laugh of an angel again and he wished to never leave the other's side.

A hand was suddenly slammed on the table right in front of Yami's face, only inches from actually touching him. Startled, Yami jumped and sat up in his seat. He blinked confusedly around himself until he came face to face with an irate looking Seto Kaiba.

"Yo, cous", Yami greeted with a lazy grin. "What's up?"

"I should be asking the same from you", Seto commented drolly. "Or rather..." Blue eyes studied Yami carefully. "What's down?"

"Huh?" Yami questioned with a blink of his eyes, completely out of the loop. Seto gave him a patronising smile before elaborating: "You are depressed, therefore you are down. What I want to know is the cause of it." Blue eyes flashed in a provoking manner. "Did you manage to catch that, oh dumbfounded cousin of mine?"

"Seto..." Yami uttered, staring at his cousin for what seemed like the first time in his entire life. "Of course, why didn't I realize it sooner?"

"Well, you can be pretty dense at times", Seto drawled. "Or rather, try all the time. It's no miracle you could not catch onto a simple play of words."

"No!" Yami snarled, standing up in an intimidating gesture that lost its effect somewhere along the way that was the height difference between the cousins. "I mean that you should understand, since you're experiencing it too."

"Experiencing what?" Seto asked with a lifted eyebrow. "I hate to break it to you cousin, but even though we share some genes, my intelligence has not been dimmed by human slugs."

"Damn it, Seto! Be serious for once!" Yami exclaimed as he threw his arms up in aggravation. "I'm talking about love!"

"Never heard of it", Seto replied sharply. Then the brunet stared at his cousin like he had grown a second head. "Wait a moment... You've fallen in love?"

"Yes", Yami replied. "And it's driving me insane."

"Oh, I know **that** feeling", Seto muttered but then his expression turned serious. "Please tell me I'm mistaken..." The brunet looked around, as if afraid that they might be heard. Then he grasped Yami's shoulders in a tight grip and gave Yami a shake. "Please tell me it isn't that slug! Damn it, Yami! You have more sense than that! You **should** have more sense than that!"

"Slug?" Yami questioned as soon as Seto's shakes stopped for a long enough time that he could properly think what his cousin was saying. "Anzu? Oh, lords NO."

A relieved sigh escaped from Seto as he released his hold on Yami.

"Thank heavens. I was already wondering how long it would have taken to disown you from the family."

"What do you have against Anzu?" Yami asked with a frown. "Besides the fact that she's clingy, loud, slow and likes to repeat herself?" Yami stopped at that and sighed. "Right."

"But who do you love then?" Seto questioned as he looked at his cousin contemplatively again. His eyes grew wide and then he glared at Yami. "Don't you dare... I swear if you go near him I'll kill you, family or not."

"Huh?" Yami asked with a startled blink. "What are you talking about?" At the red tint that suddenly appeared on Seto's cheeks the star-haired youth decided that it was safer for him if he did not press the issue. "You don't know him. He's a sprite from the forest, named Yugi."

If Yami had thought that Seto had been surprised at any point of their conversation, the look on Seto's face at that moment topped all those reactions.

"A sprite..." Seto questioned. At Yami's nod the brunet released a heavy sigh before bringing his hands together before him, a gesture he used every time before he explained something that he felt he should not need to explain. "Sprites don't exist."

Yami sighed as he dropped himself to sit down in his chair. He glared at Seto as he muttered: "I should have known you would be closed-minded about this."

"Look, Yami", Seto started, his tone actually reasonable for once. "Forget about this imaginary love of yours, at least for a moment. I had some news for you before you ignored me completely." Yami looked at his cousin, letting the other know that his attention was on the brunet for once. "The exam results were released today and we both made it to the advanced class." Seto reached out and placed a hand on Yami's shoulder. "I think you should give your parents a call."

Yami nodded his head once before muttering: "I guess." Then he started to get up from his chair. Well, now that he had made it into the last course he needed to finish in order to graduate, all he needed to do to get out of the magic academy of Lorestone was to pass it with flying colors. Then he would be free as a bird and he could go looking for Yugi without his parents becoming difficult.

As Yami made his way through the corridors, many students stopped to stare after him. It was not every day, after all, that you saw the Yami Atemu skip in the school halls.

&&&&&&&

"No", Jou spoke weakly. "Oh no, nononononononono..." His hands were covering his eyes as his feet refused to move. If it were not for the fist holding tightly to the front of his shirt and pulling him along, he would not be moving at all. Every now and then the blond would stumble when the person behind the hand grabbing him gave a harsher yank. Every time this happened Jou released a yelp that cut off his mantra and whined softly: "Stop it, Bakura. I'm going to fall." To which he would get a rather unflattering mumble in response.

Every now and then Bakura released a grunt as he dragged his friend down the corridor, towards the information board where all exam results were put when they came out. He had not looked at them yet but he was planning to correct that. Making Jou look at the results with him was also a part of the plan and it was proving to be more difficult than the albino had first expected.

"Damn it, Jou", Bakura huffed as he yanked Jou around a yet another corner. "Stop being such a sissy and face the music."

"But I don't want to", Jou whined desperately. "I won't want to see the results. All it will say is that Jounouchi Katsuya failed with a capital 'F'."

"I have no idea why I put up with you", Bakura grunted, only to get a mumbled: "The feeling's mutual", in return.

"Okay, we're here", Bakura spoke, his relief evident in his voice. "And I don't think you need to worry about failing because I can see you here..."

Finally managing to pull himself together Jou peeked from between his fingers and eyed the result board. His eyes widened as his hands dropped to his side. It was a good thing that no one else had put off checking their results to the last moment like the two boys, because the completely astonished expression on Jou's face would have earned them quite the few looks.

"Holy-!"

"No cursing, Jou. There are innocent minds present", Bakura cut in with a bright grin and a sarcastic tone. Jou smiled at him in response, the smile so bright that it lit up the whole hallway as the blond uttered weakly: "I passed...I'm...I..." The smile turned into a full out grin as Jou exclaimed: "I got the second highest score!" Then the blond proceeded to perform a victory dance in the hallway. As Bakura watched the spectacle he was glad that it had taken so long to get Jou here, since now there was no one else to see the blond make a fool out of himself.

"So... Where are you?" Jou asked as soon as he had recovered from his high enough. Bakura pointed at a spot on the list and Jou quickly glanced at it. "Hey, fifth place, not bad. Especially since there were sixteen who passed. And look at this..." Jou grinned widely as he pointed on a name a few places below Bakura's. "You did better than Yami."

Surprised Bakura leaned in and noticed that he had, indeed, got a higher score than Yami. Of course, the top ten scores had the difference from half a point to two points but he had still done better. Yami was at place eight.

Slowly an evil smirk made its way to Bakura's lips. Then there was a chuckle or two. After that the albino erupted into full-blown evil laughter.

Jou stared nervously at his friend, glancing around and hoping that there was no one passing by at the moment; especially any first years, who would get scarred for life.

After Bakura had gotten his bellowing howls to quiet down he looked at the list again and commented: "Only Kaiba did better than you."

"Well, I couldn't even hope to compete", Jou commented with a small blush. "He's the smartest person I've met."

"Not to mention the most handsome, most beautiful, sexiest and strongest", Bakura listed with his fingers. "I've heard this all before, even though I still don't get it how someone can be both handsome and beautiful at the same time."

"Seto manages that easily", Jou said with a dreamy smile as he eyed the name on the list, like it was the person and not just some characters on paper. Bakura made gagging noises that were ignored and finally spoke: "So he's 'Seto' now. You'd better not let that slip during the lessons or he will catch on."

"Right", Jou muttered, his blush an embarrassed one now. Bakura smiled fondly at the blond and said in a voice that, for once, was not filled with malice: "You are so sold."

"I don't think I mind..."

"Yeah, I didn't think you would..."

&&&&&&&

"Come on, Yugi", Malik begged his friend. "Put that book down and lets do something."

Yugi peeked from over the top of the book he had buried his nose in and gave Malik a calculative glance before asking: "And what do you suggest we do?"

"Anything but just floating around!" Malik snapped as he threw his arms up. "We could fly a race, chase birds or squirrels. Heck, I wouldn't even mind gathering fragments!" Malik ran a hand through his hair in aggravation. "Can't you see how bored I am?"

"Then you should go do something", Yugi said simply and turned his gaze back into the book. "I'm busy."

"You've been 'busy' for three days straight!" Malik shot heatedly. "You never part with that thing and you never do anything else but read it! That can't be healthy!" The blond levitated over to his shorter friend and grasped the corner of the thick book. "Just put that thing down for an hour, what do you say?"

"NO!!!" Yugi yelled at the top of his lungs, pulling the book out of Malik's reach. "You won't take this from me! No one will! It's all I have left!" Tears fell from Yugi's eyes as the boy's voice broke. "This is all I have left of him..." Small, pale hands caressed the book's covers tenderly, more lovingly than Malik had ever seen his friend touch anything or anyone else.

"I see..." Malik muttered slowly as he turned away from Yugi. "I'll just leave you to your reading then..."

"Thank you, Malik..." Yugi muttered with a sniff. "I'm sorry... Please don't be mad."

"I could never be mad at you, Yugi!" Malik shot with a smirk over his shoulder. "Well, okay, I can get mad but I never stay that way for long." And with that Malik flew off, leaving Yugi with his obsessive reading.

A sigh broke from Malik as he quickly flew past the trees, his destination clear in his mind. He felt bad about doing this to Yugi, but he had to. The way Yugi treated that book like a lover was unnerving, even frightening. Someone had to put a stop to it and there was only one person who could. His mind set, Malik arrived at the sprite village, making his way to a hut which's location he knew by heart.

"Ojiisan!" Malik shouted out as he threw open the door of the hut and rushed inside. "Ojiisan!"

"Calm down, Malik. You're creating an awful racket", came Sugoroku's voice right before the man came into the main hall from one of the smaller rooms. "Now calm down and tell me, what can I do for you my boy?"

"It's about Yugi", Malik spoke softly as he levitated over to the old man. "He's not well."

"Oh?" Sugoroku questioned, a look of extreme worry coming over his features, causing the wrinkles on his face to deepen. "He hasn't gone ill, as he? Yugi was fine this morning..."

"He doesn't have any common illness", Malik said. "He's simply acting strange."

"I haven't noticed anything", Sugoroku commented as his eyebrows lowered into a frown. "He hasn't said anything to me and seems as lively as ever."

"Well, you don't exactly have all the facts", Malik said timidly, once more doubting if he was doing the right thing. Making up his mind the blond spoke more sternly: "There's something you need to know about Yugi..."

_**To be continued...**_


	6. Fight Me

Author's Notes: Okay, here's a treat that I know you'll love. A chapter where Ryou finally comes along, and it's almost double-length as well! How's that for a treat?

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 6**

**Fight Me**

"Come on now, Yami", Seto said in an aggravated tone as he opened the door of their room and stepped into the hallway. "You can't be late for this course after all the trouble I went through to get you on it."

"Yeah, yeah", Yami mumbled as he followed his cousin down the corridor, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "There's no need to be such a nag." The rest of Yami's speech was only mumbling that was impossible to understand but Seto was fairly certain that whatever it was that Yami was saying, it was unflattering to say the least. Seto was rather amazed when Yami managed to keep his muttering up all the way to the large hall they were going to use as a classroom. Yami would have probably been able to come up with more and more new insults until the lessons started if it had not been for the shrill yell that echoed in the hallway: "Yami! YAMI-KUN! HERE!"

Seto fought back a sound of revulsion whereas Yami groaned next to him. There was a girl standing in the hallway, near the door to the class. Well, she was not as much standing, as hopping up and down and waving her arms high above her head. She was wearing the girls' school uniform, a short deep red dress and a dark blue blouse. Her brown hair landed right over her shoulders and her blue eyes shone from excitement, which was quite apparent from the wide smile that almost split her face in two.

"Morning, Anzu", Yami greeted when the two boys reached the girl. Anzu beamed at the greeting and giggled before responding: "Good morning to you too Yami, Seto." The girl shot Seto a warm smile. Seto answered it with a vicious glare as he drawled: "Who gave you permission you to use my first name, worm?" Seto heard Yami snort beside him, disguising the sound with a cough as Anzu stared at the tall brunet with a scandalized look on her face. Honestly, one would think that the girl would have already realized that Seto despised her. Apparently it was too much to hope for.

The sudden and tense silence was brought to a close by Yami's rescuing question: "Who's the boy hiding behind your back, Anzu?"

It was a good diversion technique because Anzu loved to rant about useless things. At least they were useless in Seto's opinion. Anzu, on the other hand, felt strongly about everything she breached about, from the power of peaceful living to the potential of a utopia where everything was shared. It was all disgusting and unrealistic in Seto's opinion.

"This is Ryou", Anzu started happily, the fact that she was glad to ignore Seto for the moment clear from the wide smile on her face. "It's odd that you haven't met him before, since he also lives in the East Wing and attends the same classes with us." As the girl went on with her speech she pushed the boy forth and Seto stared for a second, for a short moment actually thinking that the boy in front of him was that irritating Bakura. But the boy was slightly shorter, with white hair that flowed much more gently down his back than Bakura's. He was looking at the two other boy's shyly, his eyes rounder than those of Bakura. The boy named Ryou was also paler and frailer in built. Not to mention Bakura would never manage to look that innocent, not even on the day he was born.

"Hello, Ryou. I'm Yami", Yami said with a smile as he offered the albino his hand, which was grabbed and shook hesitantly. "So, you'll be hanging around with us from now on?" The star-haired youth grinned. "Welcome to the gang."

"Thank you", Ryou mumbled with a soft voice. "It's nice to meet you." He then released his grip on Yami's hand. Yami, still grinning, pointed with his hand to Seto: "This is my cousin Seto."

"How do you do", Ryou spoke timidly, meeting Seto's impassive gaze with a shy one. The brunet hmphed slightly before mumbling: "What ever."

"How did you do in the exam, Ryou?" Anzu asked the albino, stepping slightly in front of Seto and pushing the taller brunet back. Seto only snorted at the girl's actions and glanced around the hallway with an emotionless gaze.

"I came in third", Ryou answered with a small pink blush. "I got only one point less than Jounouchi-kun."

"Who's Jounouchi?" Anzu asked. Ryou pointed further down the hall and everyone glanced into that direction. Seto knew who he was going to see but now he had a good excuse to look at the blond, who was laughing in a group of friends, who were all chattering loudly. He was so focused on the way the golden locks framed the lightly bronzed face and how brown eyes swirled like molten chocolate that he almost missed Ryou's words: "The one with blond hair and the open uniform jacket. He once helped me, defending me against some bullies. He has really strong magic."

"You're kidding, right?" Anzu said with a short, slightly sarcastic laugh. Seto turned his head to glare at the side of the girl's head as she went on: "He looks so...mediocre. Not to mention he acts so stupid; the way he completely disregards the dress code is a dead giveaway that he's not one to be motivated by studying. There's no way he could have gotten such a good grade without cheating."

Seto's brows furrowed further as his lips curled into a sneer. His voice low, he hissed to the girl: "Not everyone is as poor with magic as you, miss thirteenth place." Then the tall brunet proceeded to watch with satisfaction as Anzu's cheeks reddened deeply in anger. Unable to keep himself from striking out once more Seto added: "Your performances in magic are below average so it's no wonder that you can't do better than a bit above average in written assignments." The boy turned away from the girl. Before walking off he shot over his shoulder: "What you are doing in this school in the first place is a mystery to me." With that he turned his back completely to the brunette and marched off.

When Seto settled to leaning against a wall away from all the other students, he finally managed to calm himself down. When he had heard that slug badmouth Jounouchi like that, he had immediately seen red. The brunet was brought out of his musings when Yami walked up to him. Seto released a sigh for the talk he was apparently in for and indeed, not any later as right after he had reached Seto, the star-haired teen spoke: "That was harsh."

"That witch deserved it", Seto snarled back. "How dare she talk that way about my puppy."

"Puppy?" Yami questioned, a clear snort accompanying the word. "You call him your puppy?"

"And you seem to want to get hurt", Seto spat and Yami managed to get his facial expression under control. Then the shorter teen spoke: "But, I had something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Seto questioned with a lifted eyebrow. "Then how about you get straight to the point instead of testing how far you can go with me?"

"Man, you can be so touchy sometimes..." Yami mumbled with a put out expression. "I was just about to tell you of a brilliant idea I got." The star-haired youth grinned at his cousin. "It's a full-proof plan to help you spend more time with...your...puppy." The last bit was accompanied by a few chuckles but Seto ignored them in favor of questioning: "And what might this plan be?"

"Our fathers are probably the most powerful people around, right?" Yami started. Not sure where this was going Seto nodded his head anyway. "So, it's in the teachers' best interest to keep us happy." Yami's grin turned into a smirk. "Just demand that your practise partner has the have the highest score they can find. Since only you got a better result than Jou, you two will be paired up for the course."

A confident smirk came across Seto's face as the brunet finished himself: "And then I can use the practise sessions to my advantage and show Jounouchi what kind of a worshippable person I am and he'll fall right into my feet."

The shorter one of the two cousins looked sceptical at the words but Seto glared the other teen into submission before any comments could be made. The plan **would** work. And, the sooner the plan worked, the sooner Seto could have just as much of his puppy's love as he wanted.

Confident once more, as soon as the students were allowed inside the room, Seto marched over to the teacher in charge of the course. She was a young woman with pale blue hair tied up into a high ponytail. She was wearing a knee-length, soft violet coat and matching pants. Seto cleared his throat and immediately the woman's head turned around to look at him.

"Yes?" the woman questioned in a professional tone. "How may I help you?"

"I am Seto Kaiba", Seto started and noticed the woman's face take a look of shock as her eyebrows disappeared underneath the hair landing on her forehead. A satisfied smirk came across Seto's face as he continued: "I demand that my partner for this course has the highest score out of the group."

"Of course, Kaiba-kun", the teacher said with an overly friendly smile. Then she turned her head and glanced around the room with her golden eyes. A small smile tugged on her deep red lips when she apparently found the person she was looking for. She straightened her posture as she called: "Jounouchi-kun! Would you come here for a moment?"

Seto watched with satisfaction as a familiar blond-haired boy made his way to the teacher and shuffled his feet nervously as he spoke: "What do you need, sensei?"

"From now on you are Kaiba Seto-kun's partner", the teacher stated simply before walking off to break off two students who did not have the patience to wait for the lesson to start before they started casting spells at each other.

Jou turned his eyes at Seto and the brunet smirked again when he saw a small red tinge on the tan cheeks. The look actually turned into something akin to a smile when Jou spoke again: "Um...hi. I'm Jounouchi Katsuya."

"I know who you are", Seto said back, inwardly grinning when he saw brown eyes widen and thin eyebrows rise. The corner of the blond's mouth twisted in a nervous manner as Jou uttered: "Uh, you do?" in a rather lost manner.

Seto smirked once more before replying smoothly and smiply: "Second year, professor Kada's upper elements class."

There was a fond smile on Jou's face suddenly, like the blond was remembering a dear memory. He eyed Seto from below his bangs as he said: "You always sat in the back row."

'So, it seems that I did catch his attention', Seto thought with satisfaction. 'Good.' Out loud he replied with: "And you were sitting two seats before me."

"Wow", Jou let out with a surprised blink. "I didn't think you'd remember someone like me in such detail."

"Well, you were one of the more promising participants on that course." Seto said that in a rather nonchalant manner but silently congratulated himself when he saw Jou blush in a pleased manner before the blond replied with a quiet: "Thank you."

Seto took a more relaxed pose as he eyed Jou critically and said: "So I assume that you're going to live up to your results and we will win our matches." He got a furious glare from the blond, the light eyebrows lowering in a threatening manner as Jou pressed his lips into a thin line. Then the blond spoke in a slightly angered tone of voice: "Do you have some sort of an obsession with winning or something?"  
Feeling defensive suddenly Seto shot back: "I haven't beaten Yami once in a magical duel. I'm determined to make that change."

Jou stared at Seto for a while. Then he sighed an muttered slowly: "You could have just said 'yes' and spared a lot of words." Then the blond looked around. "I have to tell Bakura that he needs to find a new partner then."

Seto felt slightly put out when his puppy mentioned the infuriating albino in the middle of their conversation but felt slightly better about it when he saw the white-haired teen in question before Jou. Unable to resist a chance to touch Jou Seto put a hand on the blond's shoulder as he turned the other around and said: "He's there, and by the looks of it, he's way ahead of you."

There really was Bakura, talking to another albino, who was looking rather intimidated. Still, Seto was quite sure that those two would pair off. He quickly glanced down when he heard a chuckle to see Jou shaking his head with mirth.

"To think I got to see this", Jou said with a snort. "Bakura is actually pining after someone."

"Yes, very amusing", Seto mumbled and looked to the side to see Yami walk to him. The brunet nodded his head to show his cousin that everything had worked according to the plan. He did not need the star-haired boy to come questioning him with Jou there right beside him. He would prefer not having the blond know he had arranged their partnership just yet.

Yami smirked at the brunet before nodding as well. Then he turned over to Anzu, who had been following him very closely for a short while now. Yami was standing a bit too far away for Seto to hear what he was saying but he did not have to contemplate on the matter long when he heard Anzu's loud squeal of response: "Oh, Yami-kun! Of course I'll be your partner if you're willing to put our friendship before your family!"

Seto snorted in disgust. Had the girl actually thought that Seto and Yami would pair up? How were they supposed to compete if they were on the same side? Stupid slug.

"-say something?" Seto blinked when he heard Jou's voice pierce through his thoughts. He turned his gaze back to the blond in question to see the shorter teen giving him a curious look.

"Did you just say something?" Seto questioned. Jou gave his head a small shake before replying in an amused tone: "Actually, I was just asking you the same question." The look on the blond's face turned thoughtful as he scratched the back of his head. "It sounded awfully lot like: 'stupid slug'..."

"Oh, that", Seto said with a yet another smirk coming on his face. "I didn't actually mean to say that out loud."

Seto was not sure if Jou was going to comment, nor did he even find that out when already the teacher started to speak in a booming voice: "Alright! Settle down, everyone!" Silence came over the large room, broken only by a few passing whispers. "I will be your teacher for this course. My name is Kusano Kaeru and I hope you have all found yourselves partners now, because I will be testing what you know about the subject of a four-person duelling in the form of little experimental matches." The woman held out a blank piece of paper. "First I want you all to put both yours and your partner's names side by side on this list. Then I will decide who your match will be against."

There was a lot of scuffling when everyone wanted to get their name on first. Seto decided to hang back and was pleased to notice that Jou was waiting with him. The way the blond was sticking so close to the brunet told Seto that he really would not have to do much in order to win his puppy over, because he seemingly already had Jou caught.

"I wonder who she's going to be putting against us", Jou commented when Kusano-sensei hid her face behind the list. "I hope someone who's a challenge." The blond turned to Seto. "It makes the duel more interesting if the opponent is tough."

"That is something we have in common", Seto replied as he watched Jou with interest. "I also enjoy a good challenge."

"That's the reason you and Yami are always going at it", Jou said with a wide grin. "The biggest challenge you can find is each other."

Those words had Seto wondering just how much Jou knew about him. Of course, the fact that he and Yami always competed was known by everyone who bothered to find out about it but that also meant that Jou had wanted to find out more about him. More often than once, while Seto had been spending time in the garden, he had felt like he was being watched. Was it Jou who had stared at him from behind the rose bushes earlier that week?

"Everyone gather around!" Kusano-sensei's voice rang out suddenly, bringing the two teens' attention to herself, along with all the other students' attention. "I've decided on the opponents for everyone. First off will be Atem and Mazaki against Ryuuzaki and Haga. Everyone else, please step back."

Seto watched with mild interest when Yami and his slug partner went to the centre of the room, facing two short teenage boys. One of the boys had pale blue colored hair and thick-rimmed glasses while the other had long brown hair with a violet front. Seto noticed that he had never seen the two before.

"Yami had better watch out", Jou commented from Seto's side. "Those two have actually done dual magic before. They share a few combo moves." That had Seto turning to the blond standing next to him and asking: "You know them?"

"Sure", Jou said with a nod. "I mean, we're not friends or anything but I've seen them duel before." Jou pointed to the blue-haired boy. "That's Haga. He uses the wood element. And the other guy, Ryuuzaki, uses earth."

Seto nodded his head in understanding. Wood and earth naturally combined so it was quite possible for the two boys to have learned how to put them together on their own. A child would have been able to do that.

The teacher gave the two pairs the sign to begin. A golden ring appeared around each pair at hip height. It indicated that both parties had decided what formation to use.

"There are five different formations used in dual magic duels", Kusano-sensei began to speak. "These formations are called battle levels, which tell how you wish to duel." The teacher looked around the gathered students. "Now who can recognize the formations these two pairs have chosen? Ryou."

"Haga and Ryuuzaki use battle level four, the teamwork level. This is the level used by those who have duelled together before and know how to combine their spells." Ryou's response was straight out of their textbook. Seto knew this because he knew the book's contents inside and out. "Atem and Mazaki are using dance formation, level three. It means that only one of them attacks while the other defends."

"Very good", Kusano-sensei said in a pleased manner. "Now, these battle levels can be recognized from the colors of the battle field. You see that the floor beneath the duellists has changed its color. On Mazaki and Atem's side the field is red, whereas the other side is violet. This field is always the same size, large enough for a magical duel. No spells can make it across the borders of this field even though there appear to be no walls to it. This you know from your previous duels." The teacher turned away from the other students, to observe the duel about to take place. "Begin!"

As soon as the teacher gave the signal Haga and Ryuuzaki were already halfway done with casting their fist spell.

"Terra Slam!" both boys called in unison and sent forth a massive wave of dark earth.

"Anzu! Block it!" Yami called and the girl beside him lifted her hand in the air as wind began to wave her hair.

"Tornado Wall!" the brunette called, summoning up a massive whirlwind to shield the duo from their opponents' attack. Seto had to admit, even if extremely reluctantly, that it was a good spell. Even so, when the wave sent by the two boys connected with it, it was the earth spell that won the encounter. The dark wave pushed through the storm, weakening only slightly as far as Seto could see from his place in the sidelines, and slammed right into the golden ring around Yami and Anzu. The girl released a shrill scream but Yami did not let out a sound, merely focused his energy on an attack of his own.

"Dark Energy!" Yami shouted out and released a neon green blast of what looked like pure energy from his palms. It rushed forth with incredible speed, leaving Ryuuzaki and Haga unable to defend. The blast slammed right into the two boy's ring, causing it to shake. Ryuuzaki and Haga were already preparing their next spell, having started it when they realized that they had no time to cast a defensive spell. But Anzu was way ahead of them, having caught on to Yami's example, and was already finished with her spell.

"Wind Blades!" the brunette called and a fierce wind knocked the golden ring around Ryuuzaki and Haga further out of balance. This time the two boys covered when the attack hit. Yami was already preparing another dark energy spell when Kusano-sensei shouted: "STOP!" and put an end to the duel. The golden rings disappeared along with the duel field.

"There's no need to pummel your opponent. I merely wish to see what you can do", the teacher spoke sternly. "There is no point in hammering your opponent's shield ring if you can't defend your own. The ring can't take many blows, you need to learn this, Atem." At this part the teacher shot a scorching glare at Yami, the stair-haired boy glancing down from embarrassment. Then the teacher turned away and called forth the next pairs.

"You would have beaten those two if she hadn't interfered", Seto commented as soon as Yami arrived to his and Jou's spot. The shorter one of the two cousins shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? They had a pretty powerful combo. Anzu's spell was no match against it."

"I'm sorry, Yami-kun", Anzu spoke sheepishly. "I guess you regret asking me as your partner now."

"Don't be silly, Anzu", Yami said with a small comforting smile. "Who would have known our first opponents would have such a powerful combo move? I'm sure anyone else's block would have failed as well."

"No single-person defensive spell can match it", Jou put in suddenly, bringing all other three people's attention to himself. "Unless it has a darkness effect."

"And how would you know that?" Anzu snapped, clearly not wanting any pity from a person she did not even know. Jou ignored the tone, however, and simply answered the question: "I've fought them before. They were the first opponent I ever had to use my darkness block against." The blond grinned like he was remembering an old joke. "I sort of learned it during the match so they never even saw it coming."

"So you're saying that you're better than I am?" Anzu snapped. Jou blinked confusedly at the angry outburst, along with Yami. Seto was not all that surprised, however. She may always talk about friendship but what she really wanted from Yami was to be his girlfriend. It put a serious dent in her plans if someone they had just met could embarrass her so easily.

"He didn't say that, Anzu", Yami said in a calming tone. "He just meant that only that one element has proven to be effective."

"He's making fun of the fact that I have so upper element skill", Anzu whined with tears in her eyes. "He thinks I'm a loser."

"No I don't", Jou said weakly, in an almost lost manner. "I didn't know you didn't have an upper element. I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"I don't need your sorriest you West Wing reject", Anzu snapped heatedly. Jou growled in a threatening manner as he glared at the girl. "Everyone knows that the West Wing students are inferior to us in the East Wing."

"You listen here!" Jou snapped suddenly, stepping awfully close to the raging Anzu. "I may not come from a wealthy family but at least I'm not spoiled like you! I don't take my defeat out on other people who had nothing to do with it!" From the look on the blond's face, Seto guessed that even though he had paused he was far from finished. But before Jou could go on, the teacher's voice broke their fight: "Kaiba! Jounouchi! I've called your names three times already!"

"Apparently it's our turn now", Seto commented as he reached out and grabbed Jou's arm. Then he proceeded to drag the blond over to where their opponents were waiting along with the teacher.

"It's about time", Kusano-sensei huffed and Seto and Jou took their positions. That was when Seto had his first real look at their opponents. He blinked, not believing his luck. Jou also looked a bit startled.

"Hi Kaiba, Jou!" Bakura greeted and waved while Ryou stood by him timidly. "Fancy meeting you here."

Seto groaned. Well, wasn't this just peachy?

_**To be continued...**_

Ending Notes: I can't believe I managed to write a complete chapter without a single scene-break. Sweet! And it's even four thousand words long! That's two thousand more than what I usually write!


	7. Break Me Into Pieces

Author's Notes: Okay, in this chapter you all will finally find out what's going on with Yugi, so no one is going to be in the agony of not knowing any longer.

Anyone familiar with the Japanese names of the Yu-Gi-Oh! cast probably recognized the cameos visiting in the last chapter as Yami and Anzu's oponents. Just making a note. Move along now.

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 7**

**Break Me Into Pieces**

Seto could barely believe it. Out of the five possible opponents they could have ended up with it simply had to be this one. Oh well, Seto had actually wanted to kick Bakura's sorry behind for a while now. This gave him a good excuse for doing so. Too bad Ryou was caught in the middle, though.

"You're going down, Bakura!" Jou shouted from Seto's side. "There's no way you'll beat us with such a scrawny-looking partner!" Seto resisted the urge to laugh at the blond's antics before Bakura called back: "Magic has nothing to do with physical strength, you blond!"

"Are you trying to make me want to beat you up even more?" Jou shouted back. "Because it's working!"

"For lords' sake!" Kusano-sensei yelled angrily. "Act your age!"

"But trash talk is half the fun, sensei", Bakura complained. Jou was nodding his head in agreement. The teacher only released a sigh and muttered: "Just start the duel already."

"Okay", Bakura spoke, directing his words at Ryou. "Just do everything I say. You got that, squirt?" Ryou only nodded his head mutely in response. Seto tapped Jou's shoulder with a finger to get the blond's attention. Jou leaned in closer so that he could hear what the brunet was about to say.

"They're going to use battle level two", Seto spoke. "This could work to our advantage."

"How so?" Jou questioned in an honestly curious tone.

"Ryou won't be doing anything without Bakura's command", Seto started, already knowing how the formation in question worked. "Because of that he reacts slower, giving us more time to cast our spells. In addition to that, we will know what Bakura wants Ryou to do, giving us even more leverage over them in this match." Seto smirked to himself, already forming a plan in his mind. "If I recall correctly, your upper element attribute is defensive", he spoke out loud to Jou. The blond nodded his head slowly.

"Yeah..."

"Then I'll handle attacking", Seto said, the comment telling the blond exactly what he was planning. "I hope you have good reflexes."

"I hope your spells are at least half as tough as your words", Jou shot back. "If that is the case then we have this one in the bag."

Seto released a short, delighted laugh before speaking the words needed for the duel to begin: "Activate battle level three." Bakura spoke his own part and the magical arena came to be, the golden shield rings appearing around the two teams. They were all set to go.

"Ryou, throw the first attack spell!" Bakura commanded and the shorter albino did as he was told, bringing his hands to chest-level with the palms facing each other.

"Tidal Wave", Ryou called in a breathless yell and sent the aquatic spell towards Seto and Jou. Seto immediately shouted to Jou: "Incoming spell! Block it!" Only after yelling the command Seto realized that there was no need for it. Jou's hand had been lifted up even before Seto's lips had moved and now Jou's own mouth shouted out a spell: "Dark Inferno!" Three fingers were pointed outward as Jou swept his hand across the air, leaving behind a path of black flames that quickly grew into a high wall of fire. Ryou's water spell swept against it but seemed to have little effect of Jou's dark flames, disappearing in a cloud of steam. Jou truly was an outstanding spell caster, Seto realized as he watched Ryou's spell get completely blocked. And it was just in time for him to launch his own attack, one that was his favorite even.

"White Lightning!" Seto called and brought his hand upwards, the palm pointed to the ceiling. A loud rumble came as a response a moment before a wave of white electricity shot towards Bakura's and Ryou's position. It was Bakura who decided to answer to his attack.

"Steel Wall!" came Bakura's command and a bright flash followed when the two spells connected. Seto felt the ground underneath him shake at the force of the impact and suddenly there was a weight pressed against his side. Seto quickly glanced At Jou, who was struggling to keep his balance as he tried to get some support from Seto. The brunet reached out a hand and steadied the blond boy. He would need Jou focusing when the next attack from their opponents came, since he would need quite some time to launch another one of his spells.

Bakura had apparently told Ryou to attack again when their voices had been covered by the rumbling of the two spell's connection. There was another water attack headed towards Seto and Jou, this one a rather large orb that flew through the air like a liquid cannon ball.

Jou had already seen it coming and clapped his hands once before pointing the palms towards the spell. Something completely black was sent to meet the ball of water, the spells name echoing in a strange, hollow manner: "Molten Darkness!"

The black ooze Jou had decided to use as a defensive manoeuvre met the watery orb and swallowed it whole. Seto blinked and stared as the dark ball continued towards Ryou and Bakura, who were looking just as starled as Seto was feeling. Bakura crossed his arms over his face and launched his own defence spell: "Steel Wall!"

Apparently it was true that the same trick never worked once, since Bakura's shield of iron was broken, or rather, melted by the spell that splattered against it. Still, it had managed to serve its purpose, as Ryou and Bakura were both still unharmed. Of course, that was a situation Seto was sure he could fix, since he was now done with his own spell. The problem with this spell was, even though Seto liked to use it at any opportunity, was that it took longer to cast than his other spells. But, it was also his strongest spell and he was done playing.

"White Lightning!" Seto shouted out his spell and once again a group of lightning was shot towards the pair of albinos, accompanied by rumbling thunder. Bakura yelled at Ryou to cast a spell and the smaller boy brought up another gigantic wave. Even if it had been a stronger spell Seto could have still managed to push through it since his primary element held an advantage over water-based attacks. The lightning pierced Ryou's defence, assuring Seto's and Jou's victory as the shield ring around the two albinos shook and then faded.

At the defeat of the other party the arena faded away, taking with it the still intact shield ring that was around Seto and Jou. Seto smirked smugly at Bakura's miffed expression and gave Jou's shoulder a single, firm pat.

"Good job", he told the blond, really meaning the words.

&&&&&&&

The sound of branches breaking had Yugi's ears perking up as the boy immediately slammed the book in his lap shut. Someone was headed his way on great speed, otherwise the branches would not be snapping in two so loudly. Yugi hugged his precious book close to his chest and glanced up just in time to see his grandfather fly to the small clearing he always used for reading, followed closely by no other than Malik.

"'Jiisan", Yugi started, deciding to direct his attention at his relative first. "Is something wrong? You look awfully pale."

Sugoroku was indeed very pale. He looked like he had just been frightened out of his mind as his eyes darted from side to side, like the elderly man was looking for something. His eyes came to rest on the book in Yugi's grasp and the boy hugged his treasure closer subconsciously.

"Is that the book you got from that human?" Sugoroku questioned and Yugi's startled gaze immediately went to Malik, who had lowered his head and was not meeting his gaze. Malik had gone to his grandfather, then, and told him about Yami.

"It was a gift from someone very dear to me", Yugi spoke sternly as his grandfather levitated closer to him. "It was a parting gift." He yelped in despair when Sugoroku grabbed the book and yanked it out of his grasp. "No!" the small sprite yelled. "That's all I have left of him! You can't take it away from me!"

It seemed like Sugoroku was not listening to any of his grandson's desperate please as he flipped the book open and read a few lines every few pages. The man's face was contorted in fury as he turned his head to look at Yugi.

"This book, it's all about their magic", Sugoroku spoke lowly, his tone dangerously cold. "It's filled with human magic, tells how to use it. Do you have any idea how much danger this object holds to us, to our whole kind?" At the last sentence Sugoroku's voice was lifted high into a rumbling yell that had Yugi's tail curling up in fear. He had never seen his grandfather this angry before.

"I wasn't going to try any of it!" Yugi defended, his tone brave even as his tail was in a nervous knot. "I was just reading it. It's a way to remember him!"

"You want to remember a filthy, lying, murdering human?" Sugoroku questioned furiously. "I thought I taught you better than that, boy!" The man shook a finger at Yugi and the smaller sprite only glared before yelling: "Don't you go calling me boy! I'm sixteen! That's hardly a child!"

"And don't **you** talk to me like that!" Sugoroku snapped. "I am your guardian and I know what's best for you. It'll be better if you forgot all about this human so you're better off without any of this human garbage." The man waved the book in his hand. Yugi made a grab for it.

"I don't care!" the star-haired boy shouted as he missed the book, tears gaining in the corners of his eyes. "I don't care if he's a human! He's nothing like your stories! He's kind, funny and even gentle!"

"They're all human acts to get you off-guard", Sugoroku argued. "Humans are nothing but liars!"

"You're the liar!" Yugi yelled back, his tears finally breaking through and starting to cascade down his cheeks. "You don't know Yami, but I do. I know him and I love him!"

Sugoroku was staring at Yugi with wide eyes, the small boy only now realizing himself exactly what it was that he had said. He backed away from his grandfather and saw nothing but pure fury on the normally so kind man's face.

"It seems it can't be helped", Sugoroku spoke, his voice startlingly calm considering the look on his face and in his eyes. "It is clear that you are beyond the reach of my words. That only leaves me to act…" The elderly sprite trailed off and suddenly the book in his hand was engulfed in flames. Yugi's eyes widened in horror as he shrieked: "NO!" His hear was breaking, it broke at the sight of his only link to Yami being destroyed right in front of his very eyes.

"Everything is going to be alright, Yugi", Sugoroku spoke in a tone that was meant to sound calming. "Now that the evil influence is gone you will see that you aren't beyond help. And soon you will be free of those impure thoughts." He looked straight at Yugi, the two pairs of amethyst eyes meeting and locking. "A human and a sprite can never be. Remember that, Yugi."

Yugi turned his face away, tears falling like rain as he sobbed the loss of his memento. He had nothing now, absolutely nothing, and his so-called family had robbed him of the little he had. He was alone, for he knew that he could never forget Yami and as long as Yami continued to invade his thoughts he could never fit in with the other sprites again. And after witnessing the cruelty of his own grandfather, Yugi was no longer sure if he wanted to fit in.

"You…" Yugi finally glanced up at his grandfather again, his voice rising into a broken scream: "You monster!" Then the star-haired sprite rushed past his grandfather, past the small burned bits of his book that were falling to the forest floor. Malik was right in his path, holding his arms out to Yugi, like he was asking for a hug.

"Please, Yugi, forgive me", the blond spoke weakly. "It was the only thing I could think of. You were obsessed with that book and with that Yami. You can never be with him so just forget him. You can heal from a broken heart, Yugi, but you need to let go in order to do so."

"Easy for you to say", Yugi said with a small sniff. "You have never experienced what it's like to love someone more than life itself." The small sprite forced himself to keep his head upright, like a proud soldier, and spoke once more: "I have nothing more to say to you. You have betrayed my trust and now I want you to step aside."

"You know I can't just let you go, Yugi", Malik tried with a begging tone. "You shouldn't be alone when you're distraught like this."

"And whose fault is it that I'm distraught?" Yugi asked fiercely, shooting Malik an accusing glare. "Yours, Malik. It's your fault and no one else's." Then he pushed his former best friend aside and levitated away. He noticed that Malik did not even try to stop him.

Yugi was planning on simply flying away as far he could go, when he heard his grandfather call after him. Not wanting to hear the old man's pleas he closed his eyes and let his body become one with the wind. The teleportation shimmered his body away and for the briefest of moments all of Yugi's sorrow disappeared. But that only lasted for the short moment his mind was not attached to his soul and soon the teleportation was over and Yugi found himself back in his body, feeling so much more tired than before.

Yugi looked around himself, realizing that he did not recognize his surroundings. He had been so intent on getting far away that his teleportation had taken him beyond the sprite grounds. No wonder he was feeling so tired. The trees around him were withering, like the autumn had come early. But Yugi knew better. There was only one place in the entire forest where the trees simply refused to grow and the flowers were too scared to bloom. He was in the Dark Section, the part of the forest where the condemned and banished ones lived. The evil radiating from the darker being had tainted even the soil, making it impossible for plants to do more than survive. Even though Yugi was still angry and hurt, he was still able to think clearly enough to know that he should not be here. He started looking around, trying to figure out which way would lead back to the safer parts of the forest.

"Well, well, look at the little lost lamb", a cold and cruel voice sneered in an amused tone. "You are far away from home, little kitten." Yugi whirled around quickly, coming face to face with dark eyes that stared right into his soul. "Ever heard about the big, bad wolf, little lamb?"

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: I know, I know, you all think me incredibly cruel for such a cliffhanger. Don't worry, the next chapter should be coming out soon enough.


	8. Like a Moth to a Flame

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 8**

**Like a Moth to a Flame**

The teen in front of Yugi reminded the boy of Malik in the colors of his skin and hair but that was where the similarities ended. Malik had a playful air about him but this stranger looked like the embodiment of mortal danger with his dark lilac eyes. Malik's blond hair framed his face neatly whereas the new sprite had a mane of hair that would have only looked normal if it had been on a lion.

A pair of grey of grey wolf ears stuck out of the teen's head. He was a lot taller than Yugi and stronger built, his well-toned arms and legs in clear sight along with his muscular chest. The wolf sprite was wearing a dark brown leather tunic and a long grey tail was swinging along his hairless legs. His palms, not counting the long-nailed fingers, and arms were covered in grey fur, however, and the wide smirk the stranger's mouth was spread into revealed a pair of sharp fangs.

"Are you scared, little lamb?" the wolf said with a feral grin. "You're all alone here...Isn't that frightening?"

"I'm not a lamb!" Yugi snapped, deciding that anger was a better emotion in this situation. Otherwise he could never get a word out with his fear.

The wolf only laughed at Yugi before snarling, with a hint of amusement: "Should I call you kitten, then, little kitty?"

"My name is Yugi!" Yugi exclaimed and immediately jumped back when the blond teen barked at him. Amethyst eyes wide Yugi stared at the other sprite, causing the sprite in question cackle in a manner than had shivers running down Yugi's spine.

"Do you want to play, little Yugi?" the wolf asked as he locked eyes with Yugi, the dark depths flashing in a crimson shade for the briefest of moments. "How about I'll be the big bad wolf and you'll be the little Red Riding Hood?"

"Marik!" a feminine voice snapped suddenly, causing the wolf sprite to freeze in place. "Leave that poor soul alone right now!"

"As you wish, sister", Marik spoke in a glow grumble as he backed away from Yugi, his eyes focused somewhere among the trees. Yugi tried to look into the same direction but he did not have to look for the mysterious speaker for long when a young woman levitated to the clearing. She had long, deep black hair that flowed freely behind her. Her eyes were a piercing dark blue and her skin the same tan shade as Marik's. She was wearing a knee-length dress that was the same leather material as Marik's tunic. She also had a pair of wolf ears and a wolf tail, except that hers were better groomed. She did not have any hair on her arms, only a thin layer of silvery fur on the back of her hands, but she did have long nails that looked like claws. The woman had a serious air about that demanded respect. Yugi swallowed nervously.

"I am Ishizu", the woman spoke in gentle tones to Yugi. "This over here is my younger brother, Marik. We have been expecting you, Yugi."

"Y-you have?" Yugi stuttered. "How did you know I was coming? Even I didn't know."

"Our mistress has a lot of knowledge that is hidden from others", Ishizu spoke mysteriously. "I apologise if my brother frightened you, young Yugi." The woman turned slightly, her posture gesturing deeper into the forest. "If you would follow me now. I think our mistress can grant your wish."

"What wish?" Yugi asked curiously. "I didn't know I had a wish."

"Our mistress will explain everything to you once we reach her dwelling", Ishizu replied. "Come now. I assure you that no harm shall come to you while you're in my company."

Shooting one last cautious glance at Marik Yugi hurried to Ishizu who granted him a gentle smile before starting to lead the way among the darkly colored trees. Yugi stuck close to her, just in case Marik still wanted to play.

Ishizu did not seem to be following any marked path as she lead Yugi through the grey trees. There were no markers anywhere, at least anywhere where Yugi could see them. Yugi believed that the woman knew her way around these parts of the forest, even though Yugi could not see how that would have helped, since everything looked the same to him. Wherever he looked he saw the same group of almost dead trees.

A flash of green caught Yugi's attention and the small sprite turned his gaze to the same direction they were levitating to. He glanced past Ishizu and saw a group of conifer trees that were still green. Ishizu went right into the mass of emerald and Yugi hurried to keep up. His arms prickled whenever they brushed against the branches, the small green needles scratching at his sensitive skin. But Yugi did not complain. It was not like he was in actual pain, and he did not want to annoy Ishizu in fear that the woman might leave him by himself again. Despite the somewhat kind way Ishizu had spoken to him he did not think that the wolf sprite would take kindly to anyone being difficult. Yugi knew that Marik was following them, either to stick with his sister or to keep en eye on Yugi. It held little difference to Yugi why the other wolf was following them, he knew that Marik was dangerous and did not want to be left behind with only the blond as his company. He hoped they would reach this mistress' housing soon.

"We're here", Ishizu spoke out suddenly as she stopped mid-air. Yugi floated next to her and glanced down into the small clearing that opened before them. There were rocks gathered into a circle, the formation making Yugi think that there had sometime been a small mountain in that spot, and the top had been blown off from the inside. The tall and sharp obelisks circled a stony surface, but there was a hole in the ring. The hole looked like it had been the cave's entrance before the mountain had been reformed into this new shape.

"Come on now, Yugi", Ishizu said with an amused chuckle. "You can observe the scenery after your meeting with mistress. But now she is waiting anxiously for a chance to meet you." That said the woman grabbed Yugi's hand in a tight grip that was firm but painless. Then she pulled Yugi along as she allowed the gravity to grab her enough to bring them down the slope of the hill they had been observing from. They stopped right in front of the doorway to the stone circle. Then they continued inside, Ishizu releasing her grip on him once they reached the middle.

Yugi looked around the clearing and noticed that the walls were filled with different kinds of charms and necklaces, all made from the forest's fragments. They seemed to radiate energy, making the circle of stones feel a lot warmer than the forest Yugi had travelled through with Ishizu.

"So you're Yugi..." a feminine voice spoke suddenly. Yugi's head immediately turned to its direction and he glanced up to see a dark cavern in a wall of the largest obelisk. From the darkness of the cavern, a pair of deep violet eyes watched Yugi like a hawk. That same feminine voice spoke once more: "You're a lot shorter in real life than in crystal ball."

The fact that Ishizu had backed away to the farthest end of the stone circle registered only briefly in Yugi's mind when the woman in the cavern came out into the dull daylight of the Dark Section. She had long and curly blond hair that landed around her like golden clouds. Her outfit was leather, a top that revealed her lower stomach and a short skirt. The leather had been died a deep purple to match her eyes, by magical means, most likely. The woman had full, deep red lips and long eyelashes, and her body was young and well formed. Yugi had heard about human enchanters from his grandfather and would have thought this woman to be one of those in her strange dangerous beauty, but the large feathery wings on her back proved otherwise. The wings were large and brown, reminding Yugi of the hawk that had snatched his fish once. The woman's wrists had a small layer of feathers that looked like bracelets. The woman also had long fingers with sharp talons. Yugi was slightly startled by the fact that the woman only had four fingers in each of her hands; she was missing both of her pinkies. Yugi did not know if this was common among bird sprites, since he had not encountered one before.

"Surely I'm not that small", Yugi commented timidly. For some reason, this woman frightened him. It was almost like there was something dark, almost evil about her.

Painted lips turned upwards into a small smile that Yugi thought looked a bit too patronizing for his tastes. The blond woman watched him with a look that was filled with that same darkness that the whole forest of the Dark Section seemed to be shrouded in and spoke: "You're cute." Yugi briefly wondered where Ishizu had disappeared to, since she was not standing by the wall where she had been a while ago. "My name is Mai."

Looking back at the blond woman Yugi forced himself to reply with a polite: "It's nice to meet you, miss Mai."

"**Lady** Mai", Mai corrected, waving a finger at Yugi. "I go my that term and no other." Yugi only nodded, since there was a feral look in those eyes and Mai had come so close he could smell her perfume. "Now, you have troubles and I have solutions. Shall we make a deal?"

"I don't think you can help me with the troubles I have", Yugi said partially sadly and partly fearfully. "Unless you can somehow magically change my grandfather's opinion on humans there is nothing you can do for me."

"I can make it so that you can be with Yami without anyone telling you otherwise", Mai said, her lips now curved into a somewhat vicious smirk. "Want to hear more?" Yugi nodded his head, still a bit vary but interested nonetheless. Mai crooked her index finger at Yugi, beckoning the cat sprite closer. Yugi complied and Mai leaned down and whispered in a conspirational manner: "I can make you human, Yugi-kitten."

Yugi's eyes widened at the proposal and he stared in awe at Mai as the woman straightened herself again. Voice breathless from his excitement Yugi questioned: "Can you really?"

That frightening smirk was back again but Yugi found that its effect lessened when one saw it multiple times. Mai threw her cascading hair back and replied in a voice that was filled with smugness: "Of course. It is absolutely nothing to a person with my abilities. But." Mai's face turned serious as he locked gazes with Yugi. "It won't be free. One must always pay a price for a great spell. We will do a trade and then you can go to your Yami."

"What kind of a trade?" Yugi questioned, clasping his hands in anticipation. He knew that he could pay almost any price to be with the one he loved, the one he felt like he belonged with. Mai's eyes gleamed, like she knew what Yugi was feeling and wanted to devour the boy. Yugi wondered if he should have looked less enthusiastic and if the woman was going to increase the prize.

"All I want is an itty-bitty little thing", Mai said in a singsong manner, a bit of laughter escaping into her voice. Yugi thought it sounded really dishonest. Mai lifted a pendant that was resting on her bosom; it was golden and shaped like a seashell. She ran her thumb across the piece of jewellery and spoke then: "I simply want your voice, little Yugi."

"My...voice?" Yugi repeated slowly. "But...Yami doesn't know what I look like. How will he know it's me?"

Mai smirked once more before speaking in a manner that reminded Yugi of a lying snake: "Well, you love each other, don't you? Surely Yami will recognize his one true love." Placing a hand on her hip Mai suddenly created an image of pure feminine charm. "Lure him in. Charm him again. You look good enough."

Even though Yugi did not like the way Mai was talking she had a point. If Yami truly loved him, he would see...wouldn't he? Shaking his head Yugi cleared it of such negative thoughts. The truth was he could either take a chance or never see Yami again. This was his only chance, even if he could not possibly know how slim of a chance it was. He took a deep breath and looked at Mai again.

"Alright", the star-haired youth said. "I'll do it. Are there any other conditions?"

"Yes", Mai said and suddenly there was a paper scroll in her hand. She rolled it open in front of Yugi before continuing: "When dealing with magic, there is always a second path, a possibility to gain a different destiny. In this magic, you can either stay human or regain your current form." Yugi nodded his head as a sign of understanding, even though he knew there was still more to come. "The turning point will be a week away. If Yami has kissed you by then you will stay human. Otherwise you will turn into a sprite again and serve me like Ishizu and her brother."

"Sounds reasonable enough", Yugi said with a nod. He blushed then as he asked: "The kiss...what are you exactly after when you say that?"

"I mean a true sign of immortal love", Mai spoke firmly. "A kiss full of passion, not just some little-peck-on-the-cheek kind of a thing." The woman's sunny smile was back then. "Do we have a deal then?"

"Yes", Yugi responded after a moment of steeling his nerves. "Yes, we have a deal. Where do I sign?"

The dark smirk Yugi had seen various times now tugged on Mai's lips as the woman pulled out a sharp quill. Yugi reached out to grab the item, only to get his fingertip prickled with the sharp end. Yugi pulled his hand back with a yelp and noticed a small droplet of blood come out of the wound. He lifted his hand up to put the injury in his mouth. He was stopped, however, by Mai's hand grabbing his wrist. The parchment was offered to him.

"Press it there", Mai instructed. "This is no normal pact. It'll be unbreakable, made under the ancient laws." Yugi felt dread creep up his spine at the words 'unbreakable' and 'ancient' but he gathered his courage, took a deep breath and blew it out. Then he pressed his finger on the paper. In a flash his name appeared on the dotter line, written in crimson ink. Instantly Mai yanked the contract to herself and the parchment vanished.

"And now for the spell", Mai spoke in a voice barely above a whisper. She levitated to the walls and grabbed a few necklaces from their places then she waved her hand a bright fire started to burn right beneath Yugi. The boy watched in fascination as Mai started to pull different colored fragments from the necklaces and threw them into the flames. The fire changed it color every time a new fragment was thrown in, first from orange to deep red, then to purple, then followed blue, black, jade green, bright green and yellow. The flames rose higher and Yugi backed away from them, to the side opposing to the one Mai was on. The bird sprite clapped her hands together and something glittery fell gently into the flames, turning them instantly white. Mai lifted her gaze from the flames and met Yugi's vary eyes.

"Do you know how to sing, little Yugi?" the woman asked. Yugi swallowed and then slowly nodded. Mai smiled. "Then sing." And Yugi did. Using the same language his parents had spoken and their parents before then Yugi sang the one song he knew by heart. It was the song, which's lyrics all sprites knew even though the meaning behind the words was long gone, it had disappeared soon after the sprites' home had been transported into the forest, and away from the humans they had felt they could not trust.

It felt like he was choking. This was the sensation that almost sent Yugi into a blind panic. White tendrils were rising from the pale flames, clinging to Yugi's shoulders and curling around his throat. For a moment Yugi thought that the tendrils were going to strangle him but just then they pulled back, yanking something with them. Something that glowed golden and sang in Yugi's voice. Yugi saw the golden glow get transported right into Mai's pendant as the woman's hands curled around the treasure, holding it in their iron grasp. Then the white tendrils dank back into the flames and the fire exploded into an overwhelming display of color. Yugi was blinded for a moment and a strange, almost manic laugh echoed in his ears. He thought that the laughter sounded like Mai, only a lot crazier. Then everything felt black.

&&&&&&&

Mai watched with satisfaction as Yugi's unconscious form sank on the stone floor. All of his cat-like features were now gone, making him as human as a sprite could be. Everything was coming to a close, her plan was finally in motion, the plan she had formed as soon as she had found out about the young sprite's infatuation with that certain human. She would use the love between those two for her own needs. Who would have thought that the greatest power of good could be used for such evil deeds?

Releasing a small laugh at the irony Mai started to speak: "Before the sun dies on the seventh day you shall receive the ancient act of true love. If such happens not, your soul belongs to the night that falls." And with that the flames in the circle of the stone ring died out, leaving behind only a small puff of smoke.

It was almost too easy, really. Yugi had come to her without any objections and agreed to her terms immediately. Love was like fire, the sprite mused. It made you feel nice and warm, but it also burned you so easily if you were not careful. Love was drawing Yugi in, making him an easy prey for an experienced predator like Mai. Sweet souls like Yugi could always be lured in with promises of love. Love called for pure fools, making them stumble in blindly; it drew them like moths to a flame.

_**To be continued...**_

Ending Notes: Sorry about the yet another cliff-hanger. I'll try not to leave you guys hanging for too long.


	9. Anything for a Bit of Love

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 9**

**Anything for a Bit of Love**

"So what did he do then?" Otogi questioned, leaning across the cafeteria table towards him companion. His face wore an interested expression and his mouth revealed a wide grin.

"He blushed a cute pink and smiled more sweetly than a five-year-old girl", Seto replied before taking a sip of his green tea. He was leaning backwards ever so slightly, not liking the way Otogi came so close. He still had not forgotten it when the other boy had tried to hit on him on their first year. Seto had easily shown the raven-haired teen his place but still the brunet could not help but feel that Otogi was still checking him out every time his back was turned.

"I would think one of you would have gotten cavities from such sweetness", Otogi commented as he twirled a black lock around his finger. "Did you kiss him or anything?"

"Of course not", Seto replied curtly before taking another sip of his tea. "It would be stupid of me to rush him when I'm already certain that I have an effect of him. I can't rush this, just in case I have read the signs wrong."

Otogi leaned back in his seat with a heavy sigh. He ran a hand through his hair as he commented: "And if you take it too slowly someone else is going to sweep in and take him." Otogi gave a lecherous grin to the taller teen. "I might even try my chances with him. He's awfully adorable." The glare Seto gave the other boy was pure murder and Otogi immediately released a nervous cough. "But I would never step on a friend's toes, you know that Kaiba."

"You'd better not..." Seto spoke in a venomous tone. "Or you will find yourself in the most...unpleasant situation imaginable."

"Hi there, Kaiba", a voice came suddenly from right behind the brunet. "Mind if I sit here?"

Seto quickly whirled around to see Jou looking at him expectantly. The blond looked somewhat uncomfortable, like he did not want to be there. Seto frowned before grunting: "Actually, I do. I don't need you to crowd me simply because the teacher paired us up." And with the he took another gulp from his cup.

"Oh...okay then..." Jou mumbled in a put out tone of voice, looking really confused with his widened eyes. He did not say more as he turned around and walked across the cafeteria towards the table he usually sat at. Seto looked after him, silently appreciating the way the blond's hips swayed ever so slightly while his hands and arms were busy holding up his tray.

"What was that all about?" Otogi suddenly exclaimed, bringing Seto out of his nice small daydream. "You had him!"

Looking back at Otogi's frowning face Seto shrugged before muttering: "I don't want him to sit with me simply because he thinks it's compulsory for him to get along with me."

"You idiot!" Otogi took a swing at Seto but the brunet easily dodged it. He was about to shoot an angry insult back when Otogi continued: "That was only an excuse!"

"What are you talking about?" Seto snapped angrily. He hated it when Otogi started ranting and never bothered to explain his reasoning. The raven-haired teen in question only gave him an incredulous look before sighing and grumbling: "Jou wanted to sit with you. He assumed that since you two were paired up you would allow it."

Arching one perfect eyebrow at his companion Seto drawled: "...So, let me get this straight." A frown came across his face as he spoke out everything he had been told. "You're saying that the puppy used us being teamed up as an excuse to try to sit with me, believing that I would think it was expected and allow it?" At Otogi's quick nod and an amused: "Exactly", Seto asked in a slightly miffed manner: "Then why didn't he just say so?"

"Kaiba..." Otogi started in a manner that indicated that the other teen was going to give Seto a lecture on his so-called 'brilliant deductions'. "You and Jou are different. Jou never says what he wants in the same way you don't say what you feel. Jou shows his feelings so they aren't difficult to read while you take what you want, no questions asked. See?" Otogi grinned widely, like he had just discovered the meaning of life. "You're complete opposites yet exactly the same." A small chuckle escaped from the green-eyed boy. "Man, I'm a genius."

Ignoring Otogi praising of himself Seto spoke in a low growl: "You say he's easy to read? Then why did he have that troubled look on his face when he spoke to me?"

"...Kaiba", Otogi started again and Seto refused the sudden urge to lean across the table and strangle the annoying she-male before him. "That look wasn't **troubled**, it was Jou trying to cover up his nervousness! And when does another person make an individual nervous?" Otogi lifted a finger, like pointing out something as simple as why night was dark. "When they have a crush on that particular person!"

"You're saying that Jou actually has a crush on me?" Seto questioned with a blink. "A real crush? Really?"

"Yes, really."

Quickly whirling around in his seat Seto sought out Jou, who had just reached the table where Bakura was sitting, along with a lost-looking Ryou. The poor albino looked like he had no idea what he was doing there. But Seto ignored the pair already sitting down and called to Jou: "Hey, Jounouchi!" The blond turned around to look at him. "You're free to sit with us if you're still willing!"

"No way!" Jou snapped back heatedly. "You can't just toss me around and then yank me back!" The blond paused and then continued in a gentle tone: "I'll sit with you later at dinner, though, so save a seat for me." Then Jou turned his attention back to Ryou and Bakura as he sat down. Seto watched the blond intently, noticing that he looked a lot happier now.

"Score", Otogi said with a wide grin, once again interrupting Seto's Jou-gazing. The brunet turned to his companion again and gave him a cold glare as he grunted: "Otogi...do the world a favour and shut up for once."

&&&&&&&

_"Yugi! Please wake up, Yugi!"_

Yugi frowned when his consciousness started to return. It was so odd, it was like he heard Malik's voice calling him but that could not be possible. Malik had not known that Yugi ended up in the Dark Section, so there would be no way for the blond sprite to be there trying to wake him up. Yugi remembered clearly what had happened, all the way to Mai's laughter that seemed to still echo in the back of his skull.

_"Come on now, Yugi! I know you aren't dead!"_

No, he was not dead, Yugi knew this himself. It hurt too much for him to be dead. But he also felt like he was not present in his own body. He could not feel his arms or legs, not even his tail. There was only that overwhelming throbbing pain in his chest and head.

_"Get up, Yugi. This is no place for a nap."_

Yugi frowned. That had been a completely new voice. It sounded vaguely familiar but Yugi could not place it at the moment. It was not his grandfather's, that much was certain.

_"Saw that, Malik? I told you he was still alive." A chuckle followed. "And the rising of his chest was not enough to convince you."_

That second voice was so familiar... There was a name; Yugi knew the name behind the voice, the face that he saw every time that voice was heard. But still he could not remember what they were. A hand grasped his shoulder and suddenly he could feel his body again. He immediately wished that he could go back to feeling nonexistent, though, when he felt his body ache all over. He forced his eyes to open and the first thing he noticed was that night had fallen. The starry night sky spread high above him. There were two exclamations from his side and Yugi turned his eyes to two familiar faces.

"Thank goodness, Yugi!" Malik said with relief evident on his face. His cheeks looked like they had tear streaks on them but it could have just been a trick of the light. The person beside Malik also gave a relieved smile. He had deep brown eyes and hair and round ears. He was wearing a light brown tunic and his arms were covered in brown fur. He had slightly longer arms and normal and a long, slim tail swung beside him. The monkey sprite leaning over him with Malik was called Hiroto. He was very strong physically, but lacked in magical abilities. He was still one of Yugi's good friends. Yugi opened his mouth and spoke a greeting to his friends. No sound came out.

"Yugi?" Malik questioned, his eyes widening. "Yugi, have you lost your voice?" At Yugi's voice Malik released a horrified gasp. Hiroto immediately frowned as he ordered Yugi: "Stand up."

That was when Yugi noticed that he was lying on the floor, not levitating in mid-air like his two companions. The small boy rose up to his feet and stood before his friends in a wobbly manner. Hiroto glared at his legs in a judging manner while Malik started speaking: "You're human now, Yugi... Only really strong magic could have caused such a transformation. And you're missing your voice." Malik reached out and ran a hand through Yugi's hair. "Did you run into a sprite called Mai by any chance?" At Yugi's nod Hiroto released a colorful curse while Malik said: "I thought so. Only Mai had this kind of a power. She was banned into the Dark Section ages ago."

A thoughtful frown came across Yugi's face. Mai did not look like she had spent ages anywhere. She was not old enough. Not by a long shot.

"We need to figure out the details of Yugi's pact with that witch", Hiroto spoke. "And with Yugi's voice gone he can't possibly tell us himself."

Yugi's eyes widened at Hiroto's words. The brunet was exactly right! How could he tell his friends that he only had a week to get Yami to kiss him or he would become Mai's slave? The blonde woman had fooled him. She had tricked him in a devious manner.

"Maybe I can be of some assistance in that area", a voice commented suddenly. The voice was familiar to Yugi and the boy immediately jumped at Hiroto, wrapping his arms around the hovering monkey sprite. Malik glanced up to look at the other sprite hovering right above a nearby rock, looking like he was sitting on it.

"Who are you?" the blond questioned. The new sprite grinned widely and Yugi buried himself further into Hiroto's tunic, keeping a vary eye on the wolf sprite.

"I'm Marik", the wolf said in an amused manner. "And who might you two be? Friend's of little Yugi?"

"You bet", Hiroto snapped heatedly. "So you'd better not think about trying anything. We've got you outnumbered."

"Do you now..." Marik muttered, sounding even more amused at the resistance. "I'll tell you what you want to know if you tell me what I want to know." The wolf revealed his fangs in a smirk. "We don't have to fight."

"Alright then", Malik said finally. "Ask your question then."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Malik and that's Hiroto", Malik replied curtly. Marik smiled before asking: "Malik... It has such a soft ring to it." A hungry look came into the dark eyes. "Are you seeing someone right now, _Malik_?" The name rolled from Marik's lips like a soft purr. Malik shivered visibly before responding: "No, I'm not." Yugi thought he even saw the blond blush ever so slightly.

"Good", Marik said with a pleased nod. Then he levitated down from above the rock to be more on eye-level with the group. "Mai made a deal with Yugi to change him into a human in exchange for his voice. He now had exactly one week to make Yami kiss him or the spell will be undone and he will become Mai's slave. The contract was made by blood. It's an ancient blood pact that can not be broken."

"Damn", Malik hissed. "Yami has never seen Yugi. He will never know it's him."

"But we will have to at least try", Hiroto put in. "For Yugi. We can't just abandon him."

"Of course we have to try", Malik hissed heatedly. "I owe Yugi that much for causing him so much grieve. I have to help him."

"Don't worry Malik", Hiroto said with a small smile. "You're not alone. I'll help too."

Yugi smiled when he realized that his friends would help him get through this. It did not seem like such an obstacle anymore, the fact that he was now mute. Now that he was not alone, he felt like everything looked a hundred times better. He hugged Hiroto tighter and the brunet ruffled his hair in a fond gesture.

"What should we do, then?" Malik questioned. "We can't show ourselves or make contact with humans." Yugi gave him a wide grin. "You want to try by yourself first Yugi?" The star-haired boy nodded. "Alright then. We will support you the whole way. We will get you to that school in no time. Otherwise you would have spent the whole week walking around aimlessly like a helpless human." Malik laughed at Yugi's angered expression. "Sorry, Yugi. You know I didn't mean to offend. It's just an expression."

"But", Hiroto cut in, the look on his face grave. "If it comes down to either revealing ourselves or watching Yugi become Mai's property, we will save Yugi."

"Of course", Malik said with a curt nod. Their expressions were so serious that Yugi had a distinct feeling that he was missing something vital. He looked back at Marik to see that the wolf was looking at him as well.

"How about I come along as well, little Yugi?" Marik questioned with a grin. When Yugi shook his head furiously the wolf looked disappointed. "Why not?"

"Well, why would we take you?" Malik snapped, noticing Yugi's reaction to the tall sprite. "Why would you even want to come?"

Marik looked at Malik then, his expression hungry, as he seemed to be focused on the curve of Malik's neck and shoulders. When Marik replied, he was purring once more: "To keep an eye on you, of course."

"That's not needed, or wanted at that matter", Malik hissed, apparently not liking the way the wolf eyed him like he was a promising lunch. "So you just go crawl back into the cave you came from, you primitive creep."

"Did you just call me primitive?" Marik growled, moving closer to Malik. Hiroto let go Yugi and was between the two in an instant. Marik froze and tilted his head to the side as he eyed the new obstacle in his way. Then, surprisingly enough, the wolf backed down. The tall blond backed away until he was at what could have been considered a safe distance. His eyes were locked on Malik again, though.

Clearly uncomfortable with the other sprite's staring Malik turned to the rest of their trio.

"Lets go then", he spoke. "We'll do a joined teleport, is that okay with the two of you?" He received two nods in response. "Alright. I know where to school is so let me affect the direction. Alright, Hiroto?" There was a single nod this time. "Okay then, grab Yugi's hand and then mine."

Yugi soon had Hiroto grabbing his left hand and Malik holding his left one. Hiroto and Malik also joined hands and then the world around them shimmered and then turned into a sea of pale blue.

When the world came back around them it was still night time, but the grey stone circle had turned into a sea of green trees, grass and bushes. Yugi looked around and soon noticed the straight line of trees, which separated the magic school from the forest. They had made it.

"Wow", Hiroto spoke. "Great job, Malik. I can feel from the teleport channel that we have moved quite the distance. Yugi wondered a bit about the brunet's words, not sure what the teleport channel was. He looked at the brunet in question, hoping that the tall sprite would notice it. Hiroto's eyes soon met his own questioning gaze.

"Sorry about not making sense, Yugi", the brunet laughed as he scratched the back of his head. "While you were busy dreaming about that human of yours I was tested because of the strange fuzzy magic I've had since birth." Another laugh escaped from the monkey sprite. "It seems that I'm the first channel watcher to be born in over three hundred years."

"It means he's in direct contact with the channels we use to teleport across the forest", Malik put in helpfully. "He knows whenever someone teleports and wherever they teleport from and to."

Yugi nodded his head in understanding and felt ashamed. He had been so focused in Yami that he had neglected his friends completely. And still they had come when he had needed them most, even when it was that same obsession that had caused him to end up in danger. He really wished that he had his voice so that he could thank his friends right now.

_**To be continued...**_

Ending Notes: Oh, lookie! I put Honda in this story too! And he's a monkey sprite, how cute!


	10. Plans of Infiltration

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 10**

**Plans of Infiltration**

"So, the mission is for Yugi to infiltrate the facility known as 'school' and get his lover boy, this 'Yami', to kiss him?" Hiroto summarized, the terminology bringing an embarrassed blush on Yugi's cheeks. Malik nodded his head at the summary and said: "Exactly."

Hiroto gave a nod of his head before speaking again: "What I want to know now is; how in the world are we going to get Yugi in there, as one of the students even?"

"That's the part that still needs work", Malik said truthfully. The blond scratched the back of his head and grinned nervously. The expression had Yugi thinking if accepting Marik's help was still a valid option. The wolf might have been insane, but at least he seemed to know about stuff.

"I know!" Malik exclaimed suddenly, his tone exited. "We could ask Bakura to help!"

"And who is this 'Bakura'?" Hiroto questioned with a slightly accusing frown. "Don't tell me he's your dream human."

"No way!" Malik shot back angrily. "I'd never fall for a human. No offence, Yugi." The last sentence was accompanied with a quick look shot at the former sprite in question. "Bakura is a human me and Yugi ran into when we were looking for Yami. He helped us find him."

"I see", Hiroto muttered. "So he's trustworthy then?"

"Me and Yugi think so", Malik said proudly.

"Alright then", Hiroto conceded. "You two stay on your toes and try to locate this Bakura, since I have no idea what he looks like."

"What are you going to do then?" Malik asked. It was his turn to look accusing as he finished: "You're just going to lie back and relax, is that it?"

"I have plans for nothing of the sorts", Hiroto replied seriously. "I'm going to go talk to the guy over there and ask him why he's still following us like a shadow." Hiroto indicated to the right with his head and both Yugi and Malik looked into that direction. Marik was sitting on a low tree branch, well, floating over it at any matter. When the wolf noticed that the trio's attention was on him he gave them a wave as he smiled widely.

"Stalker…" Yugi heard Malik grumble under his breath right before the blond disappeared among the leaves of the trees surrounding the school premises. Yugi released a sigh when he realized that he was not able to do that anymore and followed the fox on foot, leaving Hiroto to confront Marik.

&&&&&&&

"Don't sit there", Seto snapped as soon as Yami's tray landed on the table. The star-haired teen arched an eyebrow at the words before arguing: "I always sit here."

"Not now", Seto spoke simply. "That seat is being saved."

"For who?" Yami asked, actually raising his voice because of the strange situation. Seto was not fazed by this, however, and was about to answer when Otogi piped in: "It's being saved for Jou. Kaiba wants to stare at Blondie during dinner."

"Jou actually **agreed** to sit with you?" Yami questioned sceptically. "What spell did you use on him?"

Seto's glare was pure murder when he growled at his cousin: "If you won't stop with those kinds of comments then I might accidentally forget we are related."

"Whatever", Yami grunted before pushing his tray across the table, from opposite of Seto to his left side. Otogi was occupying the seat opposite to Yami's newly-chosen one. It was a choice Seto was not too happy with, since the raven-haired teen might do something stupid for the sole purpose of getting the brunet to react. With would lead to Seto getting very nasty.

It was not any later than right after Yami had sat down in his seat, a cheerful voice greeted: "Hi."

"Ah, Jounouchi-kun", Otogi responded even before Yami and Seto had a chance to turn to the blond in question. "You're looking as lovely as ever."

"Yeah, whatever", the blond replied with distaste before setting his tray down to Seto's right side. When the brunet moved the tray across the table Jou gave him a curious glance.

"I'd prefer if you sat there", Seto explained, a lot more politely than he had spoken to Yami. The brunet thought he heard his cousin stifle a snort, a clear sign that his cousin had noticed this fact. Jou did not seem to hear the strange sound, though, as he merely walked around the table and sat down, flashing Seto a brilliant smile before taking the first bite of his dinner.

"Do any of you have plans for the following weekend?" Otogi questioned suddenly. Seto immediately directed a suspicious glare at the other teen but Otogi seemed completely immune to it as he continued: "It's not every day that we get a whole day to ourselves to leave school."

That was right; Seto had completely forgotten that they would be allowed to leave school grounds and visit the nearby town in a few days. Many students took this as one of the rare chances to go out with their girlfriend or boyfriend. Otogi had actually done something right for once. He had reminded Seto the perfect opportunity to get Jou completely to himself for an entire day.

Of course, it was not really that simple. First Seto would have to ask the blond if he wanted to spend the day with him. And he did not even get the chance to when Jou already answered Otogi's question: "Actually, me and Bakura have something scheduled for that day. It's really important, so I can't miss it."

Seto actually grit his teeth at that. Why was it always Bakura this and Bakura that? Bakura seemed to always be in his way, even when he was not actually present in person. It was enough to have the brunet boiling with rage.

Suddenly there was a loud crack, the sudden loud nearing an explosion, and something wet ran down Seto's hand. Everyone was staring at the hand in question, along with Seto himself. The brunet had actually managed to squeeze his glass hard enough to shatter it and his drink had poured on his hand and tray.

"Lords, Seto!" Jou exclaimed and grabbed Seto's hand in a flash. "Are you hurt? Damn it, how did the glass explode like that?"

Marvelling at the feeling of having Jou's hands hold his Seto almost missed the use of his first name. Almost. Forgetting all about the accident Seto focused his complete attention on Jou's worried face as the blond studied his hand.

"You're even bleeding!" Jou continued in an anxious tone of voice. He quickly grabbed a few napkins from the table and pressed them to Seto's palm. "Squeeze those until we get you to the nurse, okay? Come on now." The blond was up and around the table in a flash, pulling Seto up along with him. "You can lean on me if you start feeling dizzy."

Jou actually looked more like he was going to faint in Seto's opinion but he was never one to pass such a great opportunity. Faking a wobbly step he spoke in a false weak voice: "Actually, I think the wound is deeper than it seemed. I feel a little light-headed."

Jou's arms were around him in an instant and Seto shamelessly enjoyed every single moment of it. He leaned some of his weight on Jou to keep his act believable and allowed the blond to lead him out of the cafeteria. Unable to resist the temptation Seto leaned his face against the top of Jou's head, burying his face in the golden mass of hair. A soft scent filled his senses, difficult to recognize. It was still pleasant and Seto decided that he would love to fall asleep and wake up with the source that scent as his company.

&&&&&&&

"What's going on around there?" Ryou questioned suddenly, bringing Bakura's attention away from his dinner. He looked to the direction Ryou's gaze was focused on and saw Jou fussing over Kaiba.

"I think Kaiba's hurt", Ryou said in a worried tone of voice. "Should we go check on him?"

"No", Bakura commented sternly, noticing the clearly faked manner Kaiba was wobbling. "He's not really all that hurt."

"What makes you say that?" Ryou asked the taller albino. "Kaiba never shows weakness. Why would he fake being hurt?"

"Because he can get something out of it", Bakura grumbled as he glared at the pair. Jou currently had his arms around Kaiba's frame and was clearly worried about the taller teen. "See those napkins he's holding? He has most likely hurt his hand but if he really was weak enough to need support those napkins would be soaked in blood. But they aren't, which leads to a single conclusion…" Bakura trailed off in a meaningful manner and had Ryou gasping when the shorter boy caught on.

"He's cheating to get attention!" Ryou exclaimed in outrage. "Unbelievable!"

"Not really", Bakura said with a grin. "He's merely noticed a chance and is milking the situation for all its worth. It's pure genius in my opinion."

The glare Ryou shot at him after those words shut Bakura up quite effectively.

&&&&&&&

Yugi had spent hours looking around the school grounds but had not been able to find Bakura. Feeling defeated and disappointed Yugi returned back to the shade of the woods. The sun was beginning to set but it was still light outside so Yugi easily located Hiroto. Marik was still with him and there seemed to be no hostility between them. Perhaps the two had reached an agreement.

Both of the two sprites greeted Yugi when he neared them and the small human nodded his head in response. There was some rustling from above the trio's heads and they all lifted their gazes in time to see Malik lower himself from among the tree branches.

"There's no sign of him", the blond spoke as soon as he was close enough to ground level. "How about you, Yugi?" the fox then questioned, directing his gaze to the ex-sprite in question. Yugi shook his head slowly, the only way he could inform his friends of his failure.

There was slight movement from Malik before the tan sprite huffed angrily: "Why is **he** still here?" He pointed an accusing finger at Malik. "We most certainly do not need him to cause us any more trouble than we already have."

"Settle down, Malik", Hiroto spoke in a calming voice. That tone of voice had always been the one the brunet used when breaking up fights between the kids back at their home village; Malik had usually been one of the participants. It seemed to still be effective, since Malik relented, merely biting his lip and crossing him arms over his chest.

"I have reached an agreement with Marik", Hiroto continued now that Malik was not giving any more trouble. "He has given me some very useful information that has confirmed a few things for me. We have much better chances at winning Mai's game with him on our side."

"Only one question", Malik grunted in a suspicious tone of voice. Yugi still considered it an improvement since the blond was not yelling anymore. "Why is he helping us? What does he hope to obtain with this?" Malik's eyes were focused completely on Marik and Yugi directed his attention to the wolf as well.

For a moment Yugi thought he saw a look of longing pass on Marik's face as he answered Malik's gaze but it was gone in a flash as the tall sprite replied: "I can gain my freedom in this."

"How will you accomplish that?" Malik grunt out, clearly intent on revealing any possible lies. Marik was not fazed by the offensive manner of Malik's responses to him and explained his reasoning: "Mai will not just sit back and watch the drama unfold. She will try to keep Yugi from winning any way she can. She hates losing above everything else and will put all of her power and resources into assuring her victory." A purely predatory smirk came to Marik's face, flashing his sharp canines. "It will lead her vulnerable to a counter attack, one which I will direct at her. Once she is defeated for good, me and my sister will be free of her hold on us, along everyone else she has ever seized control of."

Yugi had not known before that Mai had made such pacts before. Had she approached other desperate people with similar offers and then cheated them into becoming her puppets? Was that Mai's game? Was that the reason she had been chased away from the sprite community and into the depths of the forest?

"Do you have any idea how many cronies she has at her disposal?" Malik questioned. It was clear to Yugi that both the blond and Hiroto had been aware of these things before Yugi, and they seemed to know even more. It was also becoming very apparent that they were not about to share any of that information with Yugi, especially because Yugi could not ask for it.

"I don't know how many deals Mai has made during the years", Marik confessed. "Me and my sister are a recent addition to her 'little collection', so we don't know much about her past accomplishments. But I think she has at least three more servants and she will not be afraid to abuse her hold on them."

"If all we have against us is four in addition to Mai as well, then we might have a chance of doing more than simply assuring Yugi's freedom", Hiroto concluded. "As long as we stay cool and stick to the plan we have a chance of actually beating that witch."

"What plan?" Malik asked suddenly. Yugi also realized that he had not heard of any plan. Had Hiroto and Marik come up with something while the two of them had been scouting?

"Well, we don't exactly have a plan yet", Hiroto confessed with a slight embarrassed blush. "But we will fix that problem as soon as possible. It'll be our next course of action."

"I thought the first course of action was to find Bakura?" Malik commented. Hiroto waved him quiet before replying: "That's the starting point. We will make sure Bakura gets Yugi acquainted with this human establishment and we will device a plan to get him and Yami together."

A frown crossed Yugi's face and ha patted his foot in irritation. All three sprites blinked at him in a confused manner before Hiroto released a laugh and assured him: "No worries, Yugi. We trust in your abilities to swoon Yami. We will be making plans for Mai's possible interference while you concentrate on getting that kiss."

Yugi nodded his head once and then waited for one of the other three to pick up the conversation again. It was not like he could have done that himself, after all.

"Mai is tricky. She won't be giving us any clues before she strikes", Marik instructed, bringing everyone's attention to himself. "We're not dealing with an idiot here. Mai has years of experience in sabotaging others' lives. She lives from it."

The use of 'from' word woke Yugi's curiosity once again. He had always thought the saying went 'live for', but Marik's tone of voice indicated that he had meant his words, despite how strange they sounded. Once again Yugi had a feeling he was missing out on something vital. He did not have time to ponder on it any more, however, when Hiroto spoke to him: "You will need to find Bakura. Keep looking. We can't do anything without his cooperation." The command was addressed to both Malik and Yugi and they both complied. It seemed somehow natural to allow Hiroto lead them. He had always been the one to listen to the things the adults had tried to teach them and he had also been the one to try and teach those things to the other two as well. Hiroto was always so together, a feature neither Yugi nor Malik had. Malik was impulsive and easy to anger whereas Yugi easily panicked and lost his sense of reason. Hiroto seemed so much older than them, even though they were all the same age.

"Hey, no spacing out, Yugi", Malik's voice commented suddenly from right beside Yugi's ear, causing the human to jump in a startled manner. After regaining himself Yugi gave his friend a nod and focused on his surroundings, trying to hear any and all possible movement in the school garden. It seemed hopeless. There was certainly a rule against late night loitering outside of the building, so there was no chance they would run into that one specific person they were looking for.

Their group could not let such a thing as the time of the day stop them; they had far too much at stake. Well, actually it was Yugi who had too much at stake but he and his two friends shared a special bond where one's loss was a loss for everyone.

"It's going to rain", a voice spoke suddenly, snapping Yugi into complete attention. The small boy listened closely to find out the direction the voice was coming from and heard a second voice speak out: "How would you know something like that?" The first voice had been unfamiliar but this one Yugi could recognize: it was Bakura. "Those clouds don't look like they have any rain in them at all."

"I didn't say it was going to be a pouring rain", the first voice said back, its tone gentle. Yugi started to sneak towards the direction it was coming from when Bakura's deeper voice replied: "That makes it even stranger that you would know there's going to be rain."

"Have you ever tried to get in touch with your element?" the gentle voice spoke again, followed by Bakura's grunt of: "I use it all the time in battle, don't I?"

"That's not what I'm talking about." The voice was now coming from right the other side of the bush Yugi was standing next to. "I meant if you have ever tried to communicate with its natural form. I do so all the time. I always now when there's going to be rain because of that."

"Yeah, I guess I've done that", Bakura admitted in a slightly grumpy tone of voice. "I've asked some locks to open up for me and they usually obey."

"You would use your powers for something like that?" came the disapproving response. "That's wrong!"

"Not when I've been locked outside of my room and Jou's being too much of an ass to let me in!" Bakura argued back. "And besides, isn't eavesdropping a lot worse?" Yugi wondered why Bakura would say something like that when suddenly a hand appeared through the bush and grabbed the front of his shirt. Yugi released a silent scream of fear when he was yanked through the branches and came face to face with an angry-looking Bakura.

"Yugi?" the albino questioned with a surprised look on his face. "What are you doing here?"

"Hm? You know him, Bakura?" came the voice of Bakura's companion and Yugi turned his head to see a boy who looked a lot like Bakura but a slot smoother, in lack of a better term. He wondered if he was Bakura's brother or something.

"Yeah, I know him", Bakura replied and then focused on Yugi again: "What are you doing here at this time of the night?"

Yugi opened his mouth and then closed it again for a couple of times. He hoped that Bakura would get the picture.

"I think he has lost his voice", the sweeter-looking albino commented helpfully. "I wonder if he came with anyone."

"That's very possible", Bakura mumbled and then turned his head away, releasing Yugi in the process. "Oi! Malik! Are you around there somewhere?" A smile spread on Yugi's face at that. Bakura had caught on very quickly.

In a flash Malik was hovering upside down in mid-air, right in front of Bakura's face. The fox sprite grinned widely before greeting the albino: "Hiya, Bakura! Good thing I ran into you. We need some help."

&&&&&&&

It had taken a lot to convince Ryou to help him forge papers for Yugi in order to allow the former-sprite-now-human enrol in Lorestone as a student. But, since it had been for a good purpose, Ryou had finally conceded. Who would have thought that the smaller albino could be so skilled in affecting ink? Not Bakura, that was for sure. It was an amusing piece of information to find out nonetheless.

Malik had been forced to tell his story two times before the shocked Ryou had managed to catch on to the situation Yugi was currently in. Ryou had still bought the story a lot more easily than Bakura had expected, to which the shorter boy had confessed that he had noticed Yami acting really broodingly lately, like he had lost someone dear to him.

There had been a lot to do but they had managed to get Yugi as Ryou's roommate, which assured that the newly turned human could get the tutoring of their world that he needed. And it also made it easier to keep the boy from being discovered.

It was almost midnight already when everything had been arranged and Bakura was allowed to return to his dorm room to rest. Jou was already sprawled across his own bed, snoring the night away. Not able to fall to sleep with the noise Bakura poked the blond harshly between the ribs. Jou's body ached away from the uncomfortable touch before he rolled on his side, facing the wall. There were no more snores.

Now satisfied Bakura went back to his own bed and stripped down to only his boxers. He was too exhausted to search for his pajamas in the dark room and crawled between his sheets before falling asleep almost instantly. Every now and then a raindrop fell against the window. It had been raining softly for about an hour now, just like Ryou had predicted.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Yay, Bakura and Ryou get a bigger part! Isn't that cool? Yeah, I plan on having Yami and Yugi meet in time for the village-visit.

This chapter is about thousand words longer than my usual chapter-length. Should I make this into a new norm? Though it would mean that the chapters might take longer to appear.


	11. Hot Seduction

Author's Notes: Since Bakura x Ryou got so much attention and approval, I thought I'd put some more in this chapter, since there is finally a good place to put it in. I know it's not much but I'll put some more in later chapters. Enjoy!

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 11**

**Hot Seduction**

The day was rather warm. Well, those had been the words Ryou had used to describe the weather. Bakura would have preferred 'freakishly humid' but 'rather warm' worked as well, if you accompanied it with a whole lot of sarcasm. This is where it will be pointed out that there had been no sarcasm present in Ryou's tone of voice when he had used the term in question.

There were not many students outside in the gardens, most certainly because of the weather. That was always a good thing in Bakura's opinion, but that day especially so, since now he could be alone with Ryou. And not just any kind of a Ryou, but a Ryou who had been forced to take his school jacket off because of the sun. Now if only Bakura could convince the smaller boy to undo a few of his shirt's buttons. It was of course to relieve some of the heat and not because Bakura wanted to see more of that soft and pale skin. Yes, all for Ryou's comfort.

"Bakura?" The gentle voice of the object of Bakura's musings brought the teen back to earth and Bakura turned his gaze to the paler face of his counterpart.

"What is it, Ryou?" Bakura questioned from the smaller boy. Ryou was sitting on his knees with his hands folded on his lap. It was really amazing that Ryou was not harassed for looking so feminine. Even though girls had never really been Bakura's thing, for some reason Ryou's appearance did not bother him at all. Now if he just could figure out a way to tell Ryou that he was interested in the other boy.

"What are you thinking about, Bakura?" Ryou asked, tilting his head to the side curiously. "You've been in another world for most of the day." The look on the boy's face turned worried. "You haven't gotten a heat stroke, have you?" He immediately reached out his hands and held then against Bakura's neck. "You do feel awfully warm…"

It was not really hot enough for anyone to get a heat stroke. But it was probably hot enough to faint from dehydration if you went running around like the happy fool, Jou. When Bakura had been leading Ryou to the shade of the tree he had passed the blond in question, who had been running around in nothing but a pair of white pants. The blond had rolled up the pant legs to his knees, showing off his slim legs and ankles. The pants had been hanging dangerously low on Jou's hips but the blond had not seemed to be concerned about that little detail, which was probably because he thought he did not have an audience. But Bakura had actually seen one brown-haired boy with blue eyes watch the display quite intently from the shadows of the large bushes. Bakura had decided to let Kaiba be, since he would have also been staring if Ryou had had the guts to do something like that.

"I'm perfectly fine", Bakura said to Ryou, not about to tell the smaller boy that he was feeling so hot because the other had suddenly come so close. "I'll just take my shirt off and I'll be fine." That said Bakura pulled his t-shirt over his head, making a show of flexing his abs. He shot a sideways glance at Ryou and was pleased to see the wide-eyed look on the other teen's face as he stared, quite openly, at Bakura's well-toned muscles. A blush was now making its way to the boy's cheeks, giving Bakura an absolutely ingenious idea.

"You look awfully hot and bothered yourself, Ryou", Bakura commented, his voice turning into a, in his opinion, seductive purr. Ryou's face turned a few shades darker, a clear sign that the other boy had caught on to the double meaning. "How about you take your shirt off as well, hmm?"

"I…" Ryou started hesitantly. "I really don't know."

"It'll make me." Bakura flinched and corrected himself. "It'll make you feel much better in this weather." Noticing the bothered look on the other boy's face Bakura gave in a bit. "You can simply unbutton your shirt a bit if you're feeling uncomfortable."

Ryou actually nodded at Bakura's proposal and opened one, two, three topmost buttons of his shirt. Bakura was disappointed but he guessed he would have to earn it if he wanted to see more bare skin.

"You're awfully shy", Bakura commented, his voice lacking the usual sting it usually would when he said a comment like that. "It's only us guys here so there should be nothing to worry about."

"That's the whole point", Ryou mumbled, his tone so quiet that the words probably were not meant for Bakura to hear. Still, he had heard the reply and questioned: "Why would it matter more among men than women?"

Ryou's eyes came to meet Bakura's own once more as the boy answered: "It's just that girls never comment on how I look, besides commenting on my long hair. They want to know what I do to keep it in such good shape." Ryou blushed, embarrassed about his confession, and lowered his face again. "But every time I'm without a shirt with other boys around, they comment on what a bad shape I am in. The usual comments I get are along the lines of: 'Go back to your ballet class, princess', and other stuff like that."

Bakura felt rage swirl inside his stomach. Who had dared to call Ryou unappealing? If he ever found out even half of the names of the people in question there would be a need for a mass funeral.

"I guess it would be pretty hard for you to relate with my situation", Ryou muttered with his cheeks red once more. "You have a body that isn't in the least bit shameful to show around and I bet you could beat up anyone who claimed otherwise."

Having heard enough to understand what his better half had been forced to go through Bakura silenced the other boy by covering his mouth with his hand. That was when he noticed for the first time the difference in their skin tones. Ryou had probably never as much as considered getting a tan. It was very good evidence to support the suspicion that Ryou had been suffering from a weak self-esteem for quite some time now. The smaller boy clearly did not feel comfortable outside of revealing clothing.

"Those guys are idiots", Bakura said, his voice turning into a deep angry growl. "They're nothing but a bunch of losers and they know it. That's why they take it out on others. They want to make someone else feel even worse than they do."

"How do you know so much?" Ryou questioned, the look on his face awed. "It's almost as if you've experienced it yourself."

"I have", Bakura stated. He figured that since Ryou had told him a secret he could give one in exchange. "Before I came here I was the school trouble maker. It all started years ago, when I was once transferred to a different school in the middle of the school year. The students started to spread rumours about why I had changed schools in the middle of the school year. I got really angry when I found out about some of the nastier ones so I decided to get back at everyone who talked behind my back. I ended up getting expelled. I had to change schools again and there were rumours again, even worse ones. See where I'm getting at?" Bakura looked at Ryou expectantly and smiled when he saw the other boy nod.

"It became an endless cycle", the shorter teen said. "You were unable to break out of it, since it became worse each time around. And in the end it became a habit to act like that." Ryou looked at Bakura again, tilting his head to side in question again. "What changed when you came here?"

"That's simple", Bakura said, finally smiling again. Then he spoke a single sentence to Ryou, one of his best-kept secrets that not even his good pal Jou knew: "I got myself a friend."

A bright and happy smile spread on Ryou's face and Bakura was glad to know that he had been the one to put it there. The smaller boy moved closer to Bakura and spoke: "That's a good story, Bakura. It even has a happy ending."

"It's good that you feel that way, Ryou", Bakura spoke to the other teen. "The point of me telling you this is a bit different, though."

"Oh?" Ryou questioned, his eyes widened in a manner that almost made Bakura smile widely. "What were you trying to tell me?"

"What I meant to tell you with this 'bit-of-life' is that perhaps all you need is a friend as well", Bakura suggested. He had been quite foolish to think that he could immediately become more than a friend to Ryou. He would have to do this step-by-step, and start small. Otherwise he would simply scare Ryou off. He would have to get the other boy to feel comfortable around him before he could try to achieve his own goals. In order to help himself he would have to help Ryou.

All Bakura's selfish thoughts aside, it was also rather nice to have Ryou throw his arms around him and hug him tight, like the boy was doing at the moment.

&&&&&&&

Jou should really wear white more often, Seto mused as he watched his puppy play around running in the grass like the animal he so often compared the other to. Of course, if Jou were to wear white every day, there would arouse the slight problem of Seto wanting to molest the blond in public. Especially if that white clothing consisted of a pair of white slacks and nothing else.

Color schemes aside, Seto noticed that Jou had really delicate ankles. They were quite appealing actually, along with the long, slim legs. Jou's body's main theme seemed to be 'tall and slim' Seto noticed, now that he could view the body openly. Even the blond's hips were slim, though they still kept a manly shape to them. And they were also displayed quite nicely by the low-riding pants. Seto was secretly very glad that Jou had decided to go without a belt that day.

Suddenly the blond stumbled and fell into the grass. Jou rolled onto his back and then lied still. Worried that the blond might have fainted, Seto quickly made his way to the other teen with long, controlled strides.

Seto leaned over Jou's body and saw the brown gaze meet his own blue one. It must have been quite the amusing picture, Seto leaning to view Jou's face upside down like that. The blond blushed slightly from embarrassment, a clear sign that he had not known he had been seen. A nervous laugh was released from between the blond's lips before he muttered a greeting: "Hello there, Kaiba." Jou flashed the brunet one of his disarming smiles. "You're not wearing your school jacket for once."

"Hn", was Seto's nonchalant response, accompanied by a grumble of: "No one in their right mind would go out in this kind of heat dressed in that thing." The brunet lifted an eyebrow then. "What are you doing exactly, Jounouchi?"

"I was enjoying the warm day", Jou replied simply and Seto's eyes were locked on the blond's chest as he stretched his arms, arching the chest in question up a bit. The muscles moving beneath the skin were well-toned and strong but Seto was still certain he could wrestle the blond into his bed with little trouble.

Seto's mind was brought out of the gutter when Jou spoke again, his voice turning serious and confused: "I got dizzy suddenly and I lost my balance. I figured I would just lie here until it passed but I feel really bad. It's kind of like nausea but I'm not entirely sure." If the lost-puppy-look was just an act then Seto would have to admit that Jou was one heck of an actor. Still, the look appealed to Seto's better side in a surprising way and the brunet knelt down to be closer to the blond.

"You've probably just been too long in the sun. What you need is a cold drink and a nap in your own room, away from the heat", Seto spoke in the tone he usually only used when he was explaining to Mokuba why he could not go outside to play when he had a cold. "Come on, I'll help you up", the brunet then offered before he stood up again and moved to Jou's side. Then he offered the blond his hand. He noticed the slightly shaky movement when Jou reached up to grasp the outstretched appendage. He did not comment on it, however, as he focused on pulling Jou back to his feet.

"Thanks Kaiba", Jou said with a wide smile. It vanished immediately, however, when the blond's eyes became unfocused and he swayed on his feet. Before the blond could topple over Seto had seized him securely around his arms and back. Jou released a soft moan as his head fell forward and landed on Seto's shoulder.

"How about I keep an eye on you until you're feeling better", Seto suggested, even though there was no question in his voice. Jou was unable to answer so Seto made the decision for him. Keeping one of his arms around the blond's back Seto crouched slightly and hooked his other arm under Jou's knees. Then he lifted the smaller body up, cradling the surprisingly light body against his chest. There were no screams of objection from Jou. In fact, Seto could have sworn the blond actually snuggled closer to him before sighing in contentment. Deciding that the snuggling was completely imagined and that the sigh was caused by Jou almost falling unconscious Seto started to walk back to the school building.

"What's the number of your dorm room?" the brunet questioned from the boy in his arms. There was a small grunt from Jou before the blond managed to answer: "You won't get in through the door. I don't have the key."

"Why did you leave it behind?" Seto questioned incredulously. Surely the blond would not do such a first-year mistake as forgetting his key.

"I went out through the window. I left it open so that I could return the same way", Jou grumbled. Fortunately his tone of voice seemed to become more and more awake as the conversation with the brunet continued. "My room, well mine and Bakura's, is located on the first floor so it should be no problem to get inside that way. I'll tell you which one it is." The blond flashed Seto a brilliant smile. "And think of it this way: now we won't risk the chance of anyone seeing us walk in the school hallways like this."

To be completely honest Seto would not have minded if the whole school population saw him while he was carrying Jou in his arms. It would have actually been better in the brunet's opinion, because then everyone would know that Jou belonged to **him**. But now it seemed that he would have to state his claim in some other way. And preferably the way he would come up with would be one that would leave Jou as adorably oblivious as he was at the moment. Also, it should be effective enough to keep Bakura away for good. He did not want that arrogant albino trying anything with the blond while they were in the privacy of their shared room. Who knows what the creep might have already done?

The last thought had Seto growling possessively. He really did not like the idea of Bakura 'accidentally' going to the wrong bed in the middle of the night. Perhaps Seto should try to subtly find out from Jou how far Bakura had tried to go with him.

"We're almost there", Jou's voice commented suddenly, bringing Seto away from his murderous thoughts. "Around that corner and the fifth window. That's the right room." Seto did as he was instructed and immediately noticed that Jou was right; the fifth window was wide open.

"Rather careless", Seto commented, getting an idea on how to find out more about the relationship between Jou and Bakura. "With that kind of an attitude I'm sure you share the bed with your roommate occasionally, simply because you're too lazy to go to your own."

"No way!" Jou exclaimed, reaching up and actually slapping the back of Seto's head. The brunet was almost too startled to catch the blonds's next words: "Me and Bakura can't stand each other on such a close proximity. Even friendship has its limits and those limits are drawn at the smell of his breath."

Seto convinced himself that he did not need to fight back a sigh of relief at the response. Surely Jou would not be making such a commentary of his lover, so there was no way he considered Bakura one. Nope, Seto was not the least bit relieved, since he had nothing to worry about to begin with. Bakura stood no chance against his unbeatable charm.

"Umm, Kaiba?" Jou's voice questioned timidly. Seto stopped right in front of the open window and glanced down at the puppy nestled in his arms, lifting a curious eyebrow. A small flush came to the blond's cheeks as he asked quietly: "Are you alright? You were sort of chuckling a moment ago. It was really creepy."

"It was nothing, puppy", Seto assured the sweet blond. "I simply remembered a joke, that's all."

"Okay, if you say so…" Jou muttered and Seto started to lift the blond in through the window. Jou landed on his feet right inside of the room and Seto followed the blond inside. When Jou plopped down to sit on a bed Seto noticed a glass placed on the bedside table and grabbed it.

"I'll go fill this in the bathroom", the brunet told Jou in a tone of voice that left no room for argument. "Sit still. I don't want you to collapse."

Surprisingly Jou did not seem to be angered by the brunet's bossy attitude. On the contrary, he gave Seto a wide and bright smile. Suddenly Seto felt an urge to close the window in order to keep all the hot air outside, because the room had seemed to grow two times warmer.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Seto's still so stupid; he doesn't realize that Bakura's interests lie elsewhere. But, there was progress in this chapter as well. For one, Ryou's starting to open up to Bakura a bit and two, Seto and Jou are growing closer. (And they'll keep growing closer if Seto can learn to control his evil laughter.)


	12. Bakura's Plan

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 12**

**Bakura's Plan**

"Do you know where Yugi disappeared off to?" Ryou asked from Bakura when the two left the cool shade of the tree. They had decided to go back inside before one of them got a heat stroke.

Bakura shrugged his shoulders as he thought for a moment. Then the taller albino spoke out: "I guess he could be at the edge of the forest, talking to his little forest friends." Bakura was rather certain his thoughts were accurate. "I mean, who else could he be hanging out with, since he doesn't know anyone from here?"

"Well, I thought he might be off looking for Yami", Ryou offered in his soft tones. "I mean, they only have a week to get Yami to kiss Yugi or else Yugi is going to become a slave to this evil witch or something."

"I don't think he would go looking for Yami by himself", Bakura said as he remembered how the small sprite-boy shied away from everything and everyone. "He wouldn't go wandering the school halls by himself. He doesn't have enough spine to do that much by himself."

"Bakura!" Ryou exclaimed in a scolding manner. "You can't say such things! Yugi was very brave to risk his freedom and life in order to get a chance to be with Yami. I say you need to cut him some slack."

"I guess you're right", Bakura conceded, not wanting to get on Ryou's bad side so soon after getting closer to the pale boy. "Lets go then. Yugi's probably at the edge of the forest, talking to his little animal friends."

"Malik is not an animal", Ryou said sternly. "Don't call him such."

"Right, right", Bakura muttered and thought he could hear Jou hiss: 'whipped', in the back of his mind. "Should I call him Yugi's kitsune friend then?"

"How about you just call him Malik?" Ryou suggested, his tone gaining an amused undertone. Bakura scoffed slightly before huffing: "This is going to be the same thing as with me calling Yugi 'shrimp' yesterday, isn't it?" The only answer he got was a small giggle from Ryou.

&&&&&&&

Even though Yugi was unable to speak with his friends, he still found their presence comforting and was happy that he got to spend time with Malik and Hiroto, even if all he was able to do was listen to them talk and sometimes argue. Arguing seemed to be becoming rather frequent, since Marik had taken a liking into inviting himself over to their company, something Malik was not too happy about.

"Don't touch me!" Malik exclaimed for the fifteenth time during the conversation. Marik merely blinked innocently and pretended that he had not just been sniffing Malik's hair for the last minute or so.

"I wasn't touching you", Marik pointed out and Yugi realized that the wolf sprite had a point. Malik was not convinced, though. The shorter blond glared even more heatedly at Marik as he growled: "You were touching my hair. Your face was buried in it. Now stay back or I will hurt you."

"Seriously, I think you should listen to Malik this time around", Hiroto commented to Marik. "He seems to be serious and I don't think you want him jumping at you. Malik can be vicious if he wishes to." The brunet moved father away from Malik, gaining a bit of a safe distance between himself and Malik's scorching glare, which was now directed at him. He still had the courage to finish his speech though: "Just a bit of friendly advice."

Fortunately no one got hurt when Bakura and Ryou arrived. Ryou waved at the group and greeted them happily, whereas Bakura grunted something vague upon his arrival. Ryou elbowed the taller albino to the side before speaking out: "It's time we head back inside, Yugi. Are you ready to go?" Yugi nodded his head eagerly, not wanting to witness a Marik versus Malik versus Hiroto three-way match.

"Lets get going then", Bakura barked and nodded his head to the direction of the school. "It's time for my afternoon nap." He turned to walk away from the group and Ryou quickly grasped Yugi's arm in order to drag the shorter boy along after Bakura's quickly retreating figure. Yugi was left wondering if Malik calmed down or if he actually attempted to bite either Hiroto or Marik. If the fox sprite did indeed bite someone, Yugi hoped it would be Marik, since the boy in question seemed the kind of person who liked that sort of thing.

"You know what, Yugi?" Ryou started when the two of them caught up with Bakura. The small boy turned his eyes to Ryou's own and the albino continued: "This weekend we're allowed to leave school grounds. There is a town only about three miles north from school. It's called Lorice and it's the oldest town around here. That makes it a popular place to visit. It's full of little shops and there is even a small carnival there. How would you like it if me and Bakura took you there?"

"I can't", Bakura commented suddenly, cutting Ryou off and stopping Yugi right when he was about to nod his head eagerly. "Me and Jou have something we need to take care of in town."

"But surely me and Yugi could come along", Ryou insisted, even though Yugi was certain that the shorter albino was so upset because Bakura had chosen another person to visit the town with and not because he was ditching the two of them.

"It's a secret of sorts", Bakura said sternly, not meeting Ryou's gaze and giving Yugi the impression he was feeling guilty. "I can tell you all about it later but for now this is between me and Jou."

"Fine", Ryou snapped with more venom Yugi had ever heard the boy use. The star-haired youth had not even been aware that Ryou could get angry, especially over something like this. Yugi figured he would be able to relate, though. He would probably be feeling exactly the same if he was in Ryou's shoes.

"It's nothing personal against you, Ryou!" Bakura hurriedly assured the shorter albino and Yugi observed with fascination as the two humans who clearly felt for each other were trying hard not to reveal their exact feelings as they conversed.

"I would prefer doing something with you but this needs to be taken care of now that we have a chance for it", Bakura continued. "We're only going to need the Saturday for it so how about you and I do something on Sunday?" When Bakura suggested this there was a clear hopeful tone in his voice. Ryou seemed to notice it as well when the angry frown disappeared from his face and he conceded: "Okay. I was planning on studying on Sunday but I guess I can take care of that on Saturday as well."

"What about Yugi, then?" Bakura questioned, leaning past Ryou to look at the boy in question. "Do you want to tag along?"

Yugi immediately shook his head, not wanting to but into the 'date' the two teens were planning on. Yugi had his own love troubles so he did not want to make things unnecessarily difficult for these two boys who were so willing to help him.

"I guess that's a good choice", Bakura commented as he straightened himself. "I hear Yami is staying at school this weekend as well. Anzu was asking for him to go to the town with her loudly in the cafeteria this morning and Yami said that he had other things to do."

A jealous sting shot through Yugi's body when he realized that Bakura had just talked about a girl who had asked Yami out on a date. It was comforting that Yami had refused her but Yugi still was not happy with having competition. Who knew how beautiful this Anzu was and how close she already was to Yami. Hopefully she was just a good friend but it could be as bad as a former girlfriend or even someone Yami was considering to date, in the worst case scenario.

"Is something wrong, Yugi?" Ryou asked in a worried manner and Yugi realized that he had zoned out. "Are you upset over something?"

"He's upset that Anzu is hitting on his man", Bakura commented in an amused tone of voice. He winked at Yugi and the boy blushed at being caught. "No worries there, Yugi. She's been after Yami for a couple of years now and he still hasn't warmed to her advances the slightest. She's no threat to you."

"Relax Yugi", Ryou said gently and cut off Bakura's teasing effectively. "As far as I know, you are the only one for Yami. He became very broody, almost depressed, when you stopped having contact with him. The first person he talked to about it was his cousin Seto but he opened up about it to his other friends soon enough." The soft-faced boy released a giggle. "Of course he never mentioned anything of you being a sprite, but merely said that he had fallen in love."

"It still doesn't stop Anzu from trying to change Yami's mind about the object of his affections", Bakura put in but both Ryou and Yugi ignored him and the former spoke: "I'm sure he will be happy to know you're back."

"I still wonder why you don't want to tell Yami who you are", Bakura said and this time the two shorter boys turned their attention to him. "I mean, if Yami's going to be so happy that Yugi has come to him then why torture him by making him guess your identity?"

"I think that is a simple enough question to answer", Ryou said, lifting his finger and smiling in a knowing manner. "Yugi wants to be sure that Yami loves him. If Yami can recognize Yugi without hearing his voice then it is certain."

"I still think it's too much trouble", Bakura mumbled and Ryou laughed at the response. Yugi, on the other hand, knew that Bakura had a point. But what Ryou had said was the truth. Yugi wanted to know Yami missed him enough to recognize him the instant they met again. He was of course aware of the possibility of running out of time so he was prepared to reveal his cards to Yami the instant things were starting to look too slow. Tomorrow would be Saturday so that meant that Yugi would be on his own while Bakura went to town and Ryou studied. Perhaps Yugi could use that time he had for himself to investigate the school. He might even be lucky enough to run into Yami.

&&&&&&&

After closing the window Seto went to the bathroom to get Jou a glass of water. When he returned the blond eagerly accepted the glass, gulping it down quickly. Seto lifted an eyebrow at speed the blond displayed, actually amused with it.

"Could you refill this for me?" Jou asked with a sweet smile and Seto found himself unable to say no. Still he was not ready to show that on the outside as he spoke out: "Fine, since it seems that you can down vast amounts of anything at all." Then he took the glass from Jou and entered the bathroom again. When he had filled the glass he went back to the room and got an eyeful of Jou's firm behind, clothed in nothing but white boxers as the body part in question was brought out while the blond pulled his pants off. Seto's mind immediately crashed down into the gutter as he wondered if Jou was actually planning on seducing him, a plan Seto would gladly go along with.

"A free strip tease?" Seto spoke out with a smirk spreading on his lips, but the brunet silently cursed himself for opening his mouth. How was it that he always said the bluntest and stupidest things imaginable when he saw more of Jou's body than what was usual?

Jou immediately jumped before he whirled around to look at Seto, his cheeks a flaming red. The blond's eyes darted around the room before he grabbed a pair of blue pants that belonged to his school uniform.

"I…I wa-was just changing my c-clothes", the blond stuttered as he hurried to pull his pants up. He seemed to have more than a little trouble bit closing the button on the top of the pants. Seto moved in and grabbed the top of the pants, ignoring the blond's rather feminine squeak. But it was also because of that sound that he did not hear the door clicking open.

Right when Seto had managed to get the button of Jou's pants closed an amused voice drawled from the doorway: "My my, am I interrupting something here? Perhaps I should come back later."

There was a startled yelp from Jou before the blond yanked himself away from Seto and began searching for a shirt. Seto turned to look at Bakura and glared at the albino before grunting out: "Even if you were interrupting something it would be none of your business." Jou had managed to pull on a green t-shirt and grabbed the glass of water Seto had placed on the bedside table. He drank the liquid greedily in an attempt to hide his beat red face while Bakura spoke again: "I get it now… There was nothing going on yet so now you're pissed off at me for breaking it apart." The albino snickered in a very self-satisfied manner. "I feel sorry for Jou, he needs to get laid, but you deserved it, Kaiba-boy."

"Don't call me that", Seto snapped with s clear distaste. Bakura had reminded him of his less-tolerable uncle when he had called him that. Jou's shout was a lot more violent, however, when the blond shrieked: "Shut up Bakura! Not everyone has an insatiable libido like you!"

"Yeah, you have none!" Bakura snapped back and immediately got a pillow thrown into his face. Seto looked at Jou with amusement and approval as he spoke: "Good shot. It would have been more satisfying if you had thrown him with a book, though."

"A pillow was all I had at hand", Jou told the brunet and Seto smirked in amusement. Bakura, on the other hand, was not amused in the slightest.

"I can't believe you threw a pillow at me!" the white-haired boy yelled in an angered manner. Jou shot him back an aggravated glare before snapping back: "And I can't believe you picked the lock!"

The last statement had Seto curious so the brunet kept his gaze on Jou's face when he questioned: "How did you know he did that? And how can he do that in the first place?"

"If Bakura had used his key card there would have been a beep before the door opened. Since there was none that means Bakura simply 'asked' the lock to open."

"He can do that?" Seto questioned curiously. Bakura's element was metal so it would make sense that the albino could affect his surroundings in such a manner. But it was still a very delicate level of control to do something like move the metal inside a lock. The brunet wondered what his powers could accomplish. What could he make happen with his control over light?

"Never mind that!" Bakura shouted out, cutting Seto's thoughts off with his volume even though his words were directed at Jou alone. "Ryou is upset because I'm going to town with you so I promised to go with him on Sunday. That means we only have one day to find the perfect gift."

"What gift?" Seto asked, directing to words to Jou again since the blond was more likely to answer his question. Which the boy in question did: "Bakura wants to buy Ryou a gift to show him his undying love."

"Affections!" came Bakura's outraged yell but Jou paid no mind to the correction as he continued to Seto: "So he asked me to help him find one." The blond smiled at Seto in an inviting manner. "Do you want to come along?"

'And make sure the moron keeps his paws off you?' Seto thought in a gleeful manner. He smirked at Jou before speaking out loud: "Certainly."

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Seto seems to feel jealousy and possessiveness easily, doesn't he?


	13. We Meet Again

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 13**

**We Meet Again**

When Yugi went on a stroll around the school building the former sprite was not really expecting to find Yami. That did not stop him from hoping for it, though. Both Bakura and Ryou had had other things to do; Bakura had gone down to the town with his roommate while Ryou had gone to the library to study for an upcoming exam. Yugi had briefly wondered why Bakura did not need to study but had decided it was better not to ask about it.

Yugi had noticed that there were very few people on the hallways, even though the school was supposed to have many students. Apparently everyone else had also gone to visit the town like Bakura had.

That was when Yugi noticed someone walking towards him from the other side of the long hallway. The person had a large mane of multi-colored hair. It was almost exactly identical to Yugi's own. It did not take Yugi long to figure out who the other person was.

'Yami!' Yugi thought and let out a gasp. He stopped in his walk and stared at the one person he had been hoping to see. It seemed that Yami noticed him gaping, since he stopped right next to Yugi, turning slightly to face the smaller boy. Unable to start talking himself he waited for Yami to speak out.

"Hey there", Yami spoke in a friendly tone and Yugi felt his cheeks instantly heat up from the close proximity to the person that had been the only thing on his mind for days. The short boy gave a shy smile to the taller teen and Yami answered it with a grin.

"My, I guess you must be pretty new around here?" Yami then questioned brightly. Yugi felt sadness wash over him when he realized that even though he was this close to Yami, there was no way he could tell the other boy who he was. Yami had never seen his face before, only heard his voice. There was no way for the human to know that Yugi had changed species just for the chance to be with him.

Releasing a soft sigh Yugi patted his throat. Yami lifted a confused eyebrow at first before his both brows rose high when realization dawned on his face.

"You're mute, then?" the human asked and Yugi nodded. "How do you cast your spells without being able to speak the incantations?" It was a good question, considering that they were in a school of magic. Fortunately for Yugi, though, the change from a sprite to human had not made his own magic disappear. Yugi clapped his hands together once and brought them up so that Yami could see the stream that seemed like pure light that was streaming out from the cups Yugi had formed his hands into.

"Amazing…" Yami breathed in awe and put his hand underneath the stream. The soft glimmers of light brushed against the taller teen's fingers and he smiled brighter. Perhaps he could actually feel the touch of Yugi's magic on his skin. Crimson eyes were lifted to meet Yugi's own amethyst ones.

"My name is Yami", the human offered to Yugi. "Is there a way you can tell me your name?"

Nodding his head eagerly Yugi pointed to the small nametag attached to his chest, right below the school symbol on his jacket. Yami leaned in closer and spoke out the words written: "Yugi Mutou…" The human lifted his head and gave Yugi a disarming smile. "I know a person whose name is Yugi as well. He's far away, though." Yami looked sad for a moment before laughing and grinning widely. "It would be so cool if you turned out to be him." That same sadness came over the red eyes again. "But…that's not really possible, is it?"

Yes it is, Yugi wanted to shout at his beloved human. It pained him to see Yami like this, so sad and lonely. He wished to comfort the human, and tell him that he was that same Yugi and that the taller boy did not need to be sad anymore. He reached out a hand and brushed his fingers against those of the human. Yami's gaze instantly focused on him and the look on the human's face brightened.

"I had a great idea!" Yami spoke in confidence that seemed to come naturally to the teen. "All of my friends went down to visit the town today and they all have someone they took with them, but I was left with no one." He grinned at Yugi and the smaller boy flushed in anticipation. "How about we go together?"

Yugi instantly started nodding his head, smiling in a manner that he was sure made him look moronic. He was just so excited of the progress he was making, and in so little time even! It was the first time he had met Yami after his transformation and already he had a date with the human. He and Yami were meant to be, the former sprite was sure of that. Mai was going to lose this little game and Yugi would be free to spend the rest of his life with Yami.

If only he could figure out how to get the human to kiss him within the week…

&&&&&&&

"So what do you think of this?" Bakura questioned as he lifted a trinket from the rack in front of him. Seto rolled his eyes and Katsuya smiled at the movement in amusement. He took it upon himself to tell Bakura the painful truth.

"I really don't think Ryou is going to enjoy a necklace like that", Katsuya said as he observed the silver necklace with a butterfly formed out of sapphires. "Even though it's very pretty it's more fit for a girl than Ryou. And didn't you say Ryou was insecure about his masculinity?" The blond thought back to the quick briefing Bakura had given to him and Seto before they had started to go through shops with more fervour that some girls had. "Giving the guy a necklace that is clearly designed for a girl is going to make him think that you see him as such. I don't think you want that after working so hard to get him to consider you a close friend."

"What the puppy is trying to say…" Seto spoke out suddenly, cutting Katsuya's tirade off effectively, "is that pick out something discreet and fit for a male. Don't make Ryou feel like a freaking girl you dumbass."

The animosity Seto displayed in the end of his last sentence had Katsuya wondering if the brunet had some kind of a grudge with Bakura. The blond instantly brushed that thought off, however, as he decided that Seto and Bakura simply could not get along.

"Who's the dumbass here, you idiot?" Bakura snapped back at Seto. "You're the one who is so stupid he can't see what is right in front of him." Katsuya immediately caught on to what Bakura was implying. If the albino went and told Seto how Katsuya felt about him then Katsuya was going to make sure Bakura suffered a slow and painful death.

"What are you-" Seto started to question but Katsuya hurried to cut the conversation short as he jumped at the rack of necklaces and pulled a random one out, exclaiming loudly: "Hey! How's this one? Do you think this one would make a good gift to Ryou?"

Bakura instantly grabbed the necklace Katsuya was holding and glanced it over. Seto also moved closer to take a look and while the two teens' attention was focused on the piece of jewellery, Katsyua also observed the choice he had made.

The necklace was golden, with an extremely thin chain. The small, round ornament hanging from the chain was slightly larger than the nail on Katsuya's thumb. It was a ring shape, with a triangle in the middle. There were two small spikes hanging from each side of the ring and also one on the bottom of it.

"Well, it's not girlish…" Seto admitted slowly. Bakura released a snort at that as he spoke out: "This is perfect. Even I could wear this thing." The albino started to look through the necklaces. "Is there another one of these babies? I think I'll get me and Ryou matching jewellery."

"Isn't that a bit too forward?" Katsuya asked with a short laugh. Bakura raised an eyebrow at him before going back to his searching, clearly not catching on to what Katsuya meant with his words. The blond released a resigned sigh; there clearly was no way to win your case when you were going against Bakura's ability to ignore everything said to him.

"Okay, the dork found his little 'love present. Let's get going", Seto said quickly and impatiently as he took a hold of Katsuya's arm. The blond turned his gaze to the brunet before arguing: "But Bakura needs to find a matching necklace first! And then he will have to go purchase them!"

"Bakura is a big boy. He can do that without our help", Seto insisted as he started tugging on Katsuya's arm. The blond sighed in resignation before giving Bakura a quick: 'See ya!' which was also ignored. Then the blond followed Seto out of the small shop.

&&&&&&&

Seto found it very difficult not to start feeling giddy when he finally got Jou completely to himself. After the two had left Bakura to his own devices the blond had instantly demanded that they went to get something to eat. It had not been because the blond was particularly hungry, but he had spotted a cart that sold sweet treats. Without any comment to the blond Seto had bought a paper bag of them, much to Jou's clear astonishment. Seto had been unable to stop himself. It made him feel like the two of them were on an actual date when he bought Jou a small treat. Seto had even tried one of the sweets himself on the blond's insistence but had found the pink candy unbearably sweet.

"Where are you planning on taking me?" Katsuya questioned from Seto, the brunet glancing at the blond to see that the disgusting candy seemed to have completely disappeared into Jou's mouth. Seto opened his mouth to answer the question but thought better of it when he saw Jou's attention turn on something else. Seto turned to the direction Jou was looking at and was surprised to see Yami out. He had thought that his cousin was planning on staying at school that day.

The star-haired boy was walking side by side with what looked like a mini-version of himself and it was clear that the two of them were enjoying themselves. The small Yami was looking at the big Yami with open admiration that the taller boy seemed completely oblivious to.

"Is that Yami, Seto?" Katsuya questioned as he pointed at the odd couple with his free hand. "Who's that kid with him? Is he a little brother I haven't heard of?"

"Yami doesn't have any siblings", Seto insisted as he frowned at the boy he knew nothing of. "He most certainly is not related to Yami so it's probably just a coincidence that they look the same. It has happened before, like Ryou and Bakura for instance." That said the brunet turned back to the direction he had been dragging Katsuya to. "Whatever is going on, it's none of our business. We are going to the Ferris Wheel." Seto was in no mood to cut off his unofficial date with Jou but when they got back to school Seto was going to have a little talk with his cousin.

"The Ferris Wheel?" Jou exclaimed in an excited manner. Seto found himself smiling at the childish display of glee but wiped it away from his face before he turned back to the blond.

"Yes, the Ferris Wheel. Now lets get going", Seto said before lifting his arm to grab the blond's arm. The movement was stopped by Jou's hand that grasped the one reaching out for his arm. Seto blinked at the gesture, surprised by it, but Jou merely smiled brilliantly at him before walking past the brunet and tugging the taller teen after him by hand.

"You are such a child, Jou", Seto commented in amusement. He got a half-hearted glare from the blond in question accompanied by an indignant: "Am not." Seto responded to the comment by releasing a chuckle. He took a long step in order to get next to Jou and leaned forward a bit to look at the blond's pouting face.

"You're completely failing in proving your point. You realize that, don't you?" The brunet asked with a lifted eyebrow. At the scorching glare he got as an answer Seto smirked before offering: "I never said it's a bad thing to be a bit childish. It actually makes more sense to go to a Ferris Wheel with a person who can actually enjoy it."

The glare of the brown eyes turned into a suspicious scowl before Jou mumbled: "You're not simply going to tease me more if I believe you? I find that hard to believe."

"I don't", Seto shot back and gave Jou's hand a squeeze. Jou's eyes widened as the blond glanced down to look at their still intertwined hands. Apparently the blond had not realized what he was doing when he had grabbed Seto's hand, at least judging from the blush on the boy's cheeks the case was so.

Feeling a sense of satisfaction Seto held on fast, making sure that the blond understood that he did not mind that they were holding hands. If possible Jou's cheeks grew even redder at that and the reaction had Seto making his decision. Before this day was over, he would have the blond as his boyfriend, in lack of a better word for it.

&&&&&&&

"What is this?" Mai questioned as she focused her gaze on the large, oval-shaped mirror hanging on the wall in front of her. There, seemingly right before the smooth surface, were both Yugi and Yami. The two were walking on a street, clearly happy and enjoying each other's company. There was a wide smile on Yugi's face while the human with him actually laughed. Mai could not hear anything through her Spy Mirror, but it was very obvious from the human's widely spread mouth. It sickened the witch to no end.

"He actually made it to the school?" Mai questioned as she bit on her perfectly manicured nails in aggravation. "And he managed to get himself a date with the human in only a few days?" Her beautiful face was overcome by a look of rage as she leaned her forehead against the mirror, watching the two figures visible intently. "You're a sly one, Yugi. You're much better than I gave you credit for…" Still, that did not mean that she was going to give up so early into the game. There had been no kissing yet, since Yugi's voice still rested inside the necklace the witch had trapped it in. And the two boys seemed to be merely hanging together, creating an impression of friends rather than lovers. The game was most certainly not over for Mai yet. Yugi simply had gained the lead despite Mai's efforts of stranding the boy in the forest. Maybe she needed to play a little rougher…

"Ishizu", the witch commanded and immediately got an answer from the wolf sprite in question: "Yes, Mistress? What can I do for you?"

"Fetch your brother. I need you to run a little errand for me", Mai spoke with glee at her plan. It was not anything grand but it would be effective. But her private gloating was cut short by Ishizu's next words: "I am sorry, Mistress, but I have no knowledge on Marik's whereabouts. I haven't seen him in days." The dark-haired woman hesitated briefly before finishing: "I haven't seen him since you made the pact with that Yugi."

"Forget about him then", Mai snapped, not bothering to think much about the disappearance of one of her lackeys. She had plenty more where that came from and the wolf would have to return back to her sooner or later, since his contract made him her property. Marik could not stay away for long, thanks to the magic binding his life to the witch.

Turning around to look at Ishizu, who was waiting for further instructions, Mai spoke again: "Then take someone with you. It doesn't matter who as long as there are two of you and the other has strong magic. You will be going on a little trip…" The witch ran a hand through her hair, giggling slightly. "I hope you will enjoy the chance to get to experience a magical duel with human rules."

"That would be most fascinating, mistress, but I am incapable of walking on human ground", Ishizu said softly in a completely neutral tone. It would not do for anyone to sound disrespectful or doubtful towards their mistress and Ishizu had always been an extremely loyal follower to Mai. The blonde-haired woman smirked, her painted lips opening a fraction to show pearly teeth.

"Don't worry", Mai spoke in an unbothered hum. "That won't be a problem once I am through with you."

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: In my personal opinion, Mai makes one cool bad guy.


	14. Stolen Kisses

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 14**

**Stolen Kisses**

Seto watched with amusement when Jou sat into the cart with a wide grin on his face. The sincere joy on the blond's face had a warm affectionate feeling growing inside the brunet's chest and Seto suddenly wanted to pull Jou into a hug. But that action would have earned the brunet some odd looks from the people who had lined up behind him in order to get on the Ferris Wheel as well. Because of that the brunet simply climbed into the cart after Jou and sat on the opposite side of it, on the small bench that circled the casket.

When the cart started to lift off the ground Jou's grin grew even wider as he glanced around and started to bounce in his seat. As endearing as the childish display was, Jou was not Mokuba. This meaning that the blond's weight might just be enough to throw the cart out of balance.

"Sit still", Seto ordered Jou in a stern voice. "We're going to fall if you keep rocking the cart." Jou immediately sat still when he heard the last bit. The cart came to a stop then, about halfway up the tall wheel. Jou's eyes began to shine with excitement when the blond observed the view. He still kept himself planted firmly on the bench, though.

Turning his head to glance to the direction Jou was gazing to Seto saw the town spread out in all its old-world glory. It was really a rather nice view. Beyond the small brick and wood houses was a road that led up a small hill. Seto knew that beyond that hilltop was the forest and right in the forest's embrace rose the Lorestone academy. The brunet could even see the treetops when the cart started moving upwards again, this time to the top of the wheel.

"Seto?" came Jou's timid voice and the brunet instantly turned his attention to the blond's nervous face. The brown eyes of the shorter teen held Seto's gaze unsteadily, lowering from meeting the brunet's orbs as the blond started to speak: "I…" Jou took a deep breath. You…flirt with me a lot."

"Yes", Seto replied bluntly, not seeing any point in denying the truth. Jou's eyes lifted to meet his own before the blond asked: "Why?"

Smirking smugly at the boy sitting across from him Seto replied truthfully again: "Because you have the cutest reactions." Jou blushed reed red from Seto's words and the brunet's smirk widened. "See? Right there."

Jou turned his head away, his eyes focusing on the view beyond once more. A soft red tint stayed on the tan cheeks when the blond spoke out, his tone uncharacteristically emotionless: "So you don't really **feel** anything towards me? I'm just a source of amusement for you?"

"Does it matter?" Seto shot back, eyeing the blond closely. He knew something was up; Jou was acting completely unlike himself. The brunet knew Jou was going to lie, even before the blond actually spoke out: "I guess not."

'You lie, puppy', was what Seto wanted to say, but instead he offered: "I could stop if it makes you uncomfortable."

"Thanks", Jou muttered with none of his usual sincerity. Seto released a soft sigh before standing up and removing the distance between him and the blond with a single long step. Jou glanced up, surprise clear in his wide eyes.

"What are you doing?" Jou questioned, his tone worried. "Won't the cart-?"

"It will stay still long enough for this", Seto responded before leaning down to be face to face with the shorter teen. He watched when a blush spread on the blond's cheeks once more and placed one of his knees against the bench, between Jou's knees. He grasped the blond's chin in his hand, determined to show the other that he was more than just entertainment to the brunet.

Seto stared fixatedly at Jou's face when the brown eyes slid closed slowly, the long eyelashes enough to make any girl jealous of them. Licking his lips the taller teen leaned in.

The brunet jumped back from the blond when he heard the loud, low thump. He glanced over Jou's head and saw that there was something going on around the cart stationed about three carts below the one Seto and Jou were occupying. It looked like there were two people floating in mid-air, wrapped in deep brown cloaks, and they were harassing the people who were in the cart. Seto felt a magical aura surge and immediately recognized it.

"Yami", the brunet gasped out and grabbed Jou's shoulders when the blond made to get up.

"What's going on?" the shorter boy demanded in a heated tone of voice, but there was worry edged to it as well. Seto looked down into the deep brown eyes and was immediately determined to keep the blond safe.

"There's some trouble down there. I'm going to go check it out", Seto replied before moving closer to the edge of the cart. "You stay put", he ordered before jumping over the railing. Jou's surprised exclamation reached his ears but he did not hear any sign of the blond jumping after him. Good. That meant he would have one less person to worry about. He moved as quickly as he could while he attempted to keep himself falling while he moved across a slippery cart roof. It was going to be dangerous to jump from cart to cart at his current height but it was the only way to get to his cousin fast enough to help him.

&&&&&&&

Yami actually felt happy when he walked on the streets of Lorice with Yugi by his side. Even though the teen was constantly telling himself that this was not his beloved sprite, he still found himself feeling like the two Yugi's were the same person. It was very unfair of him but somehow Yami could not get passed the thought how the memory of Yugi's voice fit together with this new boy's face. He was happy with this Yugi, and he was scared that the feeling might vanish at any given moment.

There was a sudden tug on Yami's sleeve and the star-haired youth turned his attention to Yugi, who looked exited all of a sudden, his eyes even wider than usual.

"What is it, Yugi?" Yami questioned with a gentle smile to the smaller boy. When Yugi pointed at something over the rooftops Yami turned his gaze to that direction. He saw the Ferris Wheel rising high up in all the colors of the rainbow. Apparently Yugi wanted to ride it. The crimson-eyed teen turned to Yugi once more before asking: "Do you want to ride the Ferris Wheel with me, Yugi?" At the smaller teen's eager nodding Yami released a bright laugh and grasped one of the thin arms. "All right then. Lets go."

The two came to the line to the Wheel and Yami instantly noticed a familiar brunet standing in front of the couple that was in the line before Yami and Yugi. Cursing his short body Yami leaned to the side to see if there was someone with his cousin. Indeed there was a familiar blond boy standing right next to Seto, holding the taller teen's hand and talking animatedly with a wide smile on his face. Usually Seto would be annoyed by something like that but Yami briefly noted a soft expression on his cousin's face. The brunet was not actually smiling but it was more than clear to Yami that he wanted to.

"Have you ever been on one of these before?" Yami asked from Yugi when he grew bored of watching the mime show of Seto and Jou's date. Yugi shook his head and Yami arched his eyebrows in surprise. "Really? You haven't? That's a surprise." A frown came on Yugi's face at the words while the small boy's lower lip was pushed out in a pout. Deciding that he would not be getting any points from laughing at the expression Yami gave the shorter boy an apologetic smile as he spoke: "I didn't mean to make fun of you. I just find it unusual that there would be someone your age who's never been on a Ferris Wheel before. Do you live in some remote location or something?" There was a curt nod from Yugi and Yami once again thought how similar this boy was to the sprite he had met. Cursing himself for such thinking Yami turned is attention back to the line in front of them and noticed that they would get to rise into a cart next.

Yami got into the cart first and offered Yugi his hand to help him get on as well. The boy's cheeks were dusted by a soft red shade when he grabbed Yami's hand and allowed the taller teen to pull him into the cart. Yami was smiling the whole time he guided Yugi to the wooden bench, even though the smaller boy was completely capable of sitting down on his own. It simply felt too right to touch Yugi for Yami to resist.

The cart soon started moving upwards and Yugi was completely fixated by the sight of the houses disappearing under the edge of the cart. The look on the small boy's face was a mixture of awe and fear and Yami wondered if Yugi had even seen a Ferris Wheel before in his life. That thought made Yami once more consider the possibility of the two Yugi's being the same person. Even though this Yugi was mute, his innocent face matched perfectly the angelic voice of the sprite who had talked to Yami through the thick branches of trees.

"Yugi", Yami started and the amethyst eyes of his companion immediately met his own. Yugi was smiling expectantly at Yami and the taller teen continued: "Yugi… We have met before, haven't we?" Yugi's eyes widened and Yami pressed on: "You're the same as the Yugi I met before. I know you are, because this whole day I have been feeling like I'm with my Yugi. I don't know what happened but I know who you are."

There was a long, still silence that was finally broken when Yugi blinked once before a brilliant smile spread on his face. That was all the answer Yami needed and he smiled as well. He outstretched his arms in a welcoming gesture and Yugi slowly stood up and stepped over to him before sitting in his lap. Yami heard the smaller boy sigh in contentment when he wrapped his arms around the smaller frame and held his beloved close.

Running his hand through thick hair, Yami pressed his face against the smaller boy's temple. He enjoyed the closeness of the other teen and decided that this was all he would ever need. He was struck with the sudden inspiration to kiss the smaller boy and moved his hand to lift Yugi's chin up. There was an expectant look in Yugi's wide eyes, telling the taller teen that he had the other boy's permission to proceed. Smiling softly Yami moved his face closer to Yugi's own, ready to kiss those full, and possibly soft, lips.

He was just about ready to finally claim Yugi's lips as his own when there was a loud rumbling sound from right behind the duo, followed by the cart jerking violently. Yami lost his balance and fell to the cart's floor, trapping Yugi underneath his body in the process. He felt magic crackle in the air around them and immediately recognized the magic type as wind.

Yami lifted himself up with Yugi's body still safe underneath his own, and turned his head to look at their assailant. There was a tall, dark-cloaked form standing on nothing but air a few metres away from their cart. The cloak flapped around the person's body, revealing her feminine shape.

"You've gotten very far very fast, little kitten", the woman spoke in a deep voice. "The mistress figured you could use some small opposition to make the game more interesting for you."

Suddenly there was a thump right above Yami's head and the startled youth actually yelped in surprise when a figure swung itself into the car from the roof. He immediately recognized the person that had landed so gracefully into the cart and sighed in relief.

"Seto", Yami greeted with a smile. "Where did you ditch Jou?"

"He's a couple of carts higher and hopefully he will have enough sense to stay there", Seto replied quickly before turning his attention to the levitating woman. "What do you want?"

"I want a match", the woman replied smoothly. "A magical duel between our teams."

"You have no team", Yami pointed out snappily. "It's only you here."

"My companion is right here", the woman spoke and another cloaked figure appeared next to her. The new figure was about the same size as the woman and its cloak seemed to be thicker, making it hard to say if it was male or female.

"So what do you say?" the woman challenged once more. "The kitten can even join your team." The woman released a laugh. "It's not like he is powerful enough to make any difference to the ending result."

"Alright then", Seto said and Yami grinned. There were times that the two cousins were on the same wavelength, despite their often-clashing views on matters. Most usually these times were when the two of them were challenged, no matter what the challenge was for.

"Will you join us?" Yami asked when he turned his attention to Yugi. The smaller boy steeled his expression and nodded once gravely. Yami smiled at the courage the small boy displayed and got off of him, standing up. He offered Yugi his hand and once again the gesture was accepted. Yami pulled the smaller boy to his feet and stood close to him. He noticed that Seto had steadied his pose as well, crossing his arms over his chest.

Yami wondered if their current location would affect the duel's progress. Duels were usually fought on even ground so Yami was not sure if the appearing field would give them a steady footing or if there was a possibility of them falling to their deaths once the parties started throwing spells at each other.

"We accept your challenge", Yami hollered and instantly darkness spread around them. The Ferris Wheel cart disappeared from underneath them, clearly not belonging into the pocket dimension. Yami fought back a relieved sigh when he realized that the arena was not affected by their unusual surroundings. He turned to Seto.

"Activate Battle Level Three", Seto spoke out, immediately catching on to Yami's unspoken question. A red ring of light took shape around the three people, making them all set for the duel to begin. The cloaked pair had a yellow ring around them, revealing that the pair was using Battle Level Two.

"I think the same chick who has been in voice so far is going to be the one giving the commands", Yami commented to Seto and the brunet nodded his head before agreeing: "She seems like the type to call the shots." Seto unfolded his arms. "I can handle defence, for now at least. We will see what we are up against before making final decisions." Yami nodded his head in agreement and grabbed one of Yugi's arms with his hand.

"Will you help me attack, Yugi?" the star-haired youth asked and Yugi nodded his head in reply, even if hesitantly. It was very likely that Yugi had never duelled like this before so he would have to do his best to instruct the smaller boy as the battle progressed.

"Yugi is new to this, Seto. I'm going to take care of him so you can concentrate on doing your part", Yami said to his cousin. The brunet nodded his head once, clearly happy with not having to take responsibility of a boy he did not know. It was very likely that he would be asking about Yugi's name after the duel, though. Hopefully Yugi would not mind letting Seto in on their secret as well.

"Attack!" the cloaked woman announced in a loud, hollering voice. Instantly the figure next to her moved its arms in a circle shape, before launching a ball of white fire at Yami's team. Seto's reaction to the assault was instant; the brunet outstretched one arm and cast his spell. A white lightning shot out of his hand, colliding with the fireball and neutralizing the attack.

It was Yami's turn to launch an attack. The star-haired youth had decided to keep Yugi in the background while he and Seto took care of the fighting. He did not want to endanger the former sprite in any manner. He fisted his both hands and brought them in front of his chest, shooting an attack of pure energy at the opposing pair.

"Gale!" came the woman's shout and a heavy wind blew from her position, terminating Yami's attack like it was a vegetable in a cutter. The spell continued onwards, towards their shield ring. But it seemed that Seto had seen it coming, since the brunet was casting a spell to repel the attack.

"Solar!" Seto commanded and a bright, pure white light seemed to eat the attack coming at them. It seemed that they were faced with people who had a lot of experience in using magic but hopefully they would be able to break through the other team's defences. Yami still knew that they could not win like this. His spells were not effective enough to neutralize a spell that had both defensive and offensive capabilities and even though Seto's spells were powerful, they only accomplished a single task.

"We need to trade jobs", Yami spoke to Seto and the brunet instantly nodded. They had clearly reached the same solution to the problem. If their opponents continued to defend with wind then Seto's attack spells might be able to break through. And Yami was also certain that he could hold up against fire elemental spells.

"Attack!" the woman commanded once again and this time the attack launched by the other figure took the shape of two fiery arrows, spiralling each other for more momentum.

"Force Field!" Yami pronounced and instantly a glass-like shied appeared in the path of the attack. The fire spiral slammed into the shield and licked its whole width when its shape broke. The shield shattered after serving its purpose, giving Seto room to launch the spell he had been gathering energy for.

"Burst Stream!" came the brunet's shouted command and a wide blast of light magic rushed towards their opposition. There was a swing of an arm from the woman as she ordered once more: "Gale!" The familiar gust of wind appeared to repel Seto's attack but the light assault pushed right through, slamming against the yellow shield ring. The woman released a pained shriek but her companion stayed silent, even as it fell on its knees.

"Attack them!" the woman yelled when she and her partner were standing up again. "Change of element, Darkness Assault!"

Not liking the sound of the command their opponent gave Yami immediately started to gather magic for his shield spell. He could make it hold out better if he put more magic into it. He observed as the other cloaked person's posture became tense and readied to launch his spell. He would have to get his timing just right in order to have the shield at its strongest at the moment the attack would hit it. He knew that this time around, their enemies meant business.

Out of nowhere appeared a shifting shape of pure darkness, shooting out tendrils like a real live creature. It started rushing forward with speed Yami had not seen before and he hurried to finish his shield before the spell would cross the distance between the parties.

"Force Field!" Yami called and the same shield from before reappeared, only it seemed to glisten like a prism from the extra magic Yami had poured into it. The darkness spell rammed against the powered shield and Yami's eyes widened in surprise. The shield was cracking and it happened so fast that by the time Yami had realized this, the spell had already pushed through.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Fear the cliffhanger! Mwuahahahaa!


	15. Under Siege

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 15**

**Under Siege**

The spell hit them hard. The red shield ring quivered and shook under the assault, its bright light fading into a soft glow that reminded Yami of a flickering flashlight just about to run out of batteries. Yami knew that their ring would not last even a single more magic attack, and that was bad for them. If their shield ring broke on them, they might get seriously injured by an offensive spell, they could even die.

"What was that?" Seto spoke out and Yami noticed that he sounded like he had just gotten the wind knocked out of him. Yami could relate to the feeling; that was exactly what he was experiencing. He turned a worried gaze to Yugi to see that the boy seemed okay, at least on the outside.

"It was a completely darkness-based spell", Yami spoke out. "Very powerful. I don't think I will be able to hold it back."

"Hopefully you won't need to", Seto replied smoothly and Yami noticed that the brunet was preparing to cast a spell. "We'll take a page out of their book. Lets see how they like a boosted Burst Stream!" Seto had started speaking in a low rumble but his voice rose into a loud yell in the end, a clear sign to Yami that the spell was now ready to be cast.

Crossing his fingers for luck Yami watched as the burst of light energy rolled its way across their battlefield, rushing right through the Gale shield that had been cast as a defence. It slammed right into another shield that had risen behind the wind, though. It still visibly harmed their opposition, even though the wall of black fire stopped a full blow.

"Smart", Seto grunted, panting heavily from exhaustion. "A double defence. It left them vulnerable to attack but then again, the both us are too weak to launch the attack we need to win. By the time we are ready to attack, they will have gathered their strength back."

"So we've reached a standstill?" Yami questioned. "When is it going to end?"

"When one team runs out of power to use", Seto said with a look of distaste that instantly told Yami that he was going to hear bad news. "And by the looks of things we are going to be the ones who grow tired worse. Those two have more experience than we do and that means they have more stamina than us."

There was tug on the front of Yami's shirt and the star-haired youth looked down to see Yugi looking at him with a helpful smile on his face. Laying a hand over the one gripping him Yami questioned from the shorter boy: "You want to help Yugi?" There was a nod from the teen in question. "Alright then. I'm counting on you." Yami released his hold on the smaller body in order to give Yugi room to cast a spell.

Yugi spread out his arms to his sides and Yami noticed the cloaked woman starting to shake her partner frantically, clearly trying to get the other to cast a spell to protect them. Yami smirked as he turned his eyes back on Yugi, who closed his eyes before bringing his hands together in a clap.

The sound seemed to echo around them and a rain of glittering light came from Yugi's hands. Then a lightning-like surge of magic shot out from thin air right above the cloaked pair. The impact was instant and the attack exploded into bright colors that momentarily blinded Yami.

Fortunately the flash of light faded away quickly enough and when Yami got his sight back he saw both of their enemies collapsed on the invisible floor. The two had been defeated and the battlefield had begun to fade away. Yami glanced over to the person who had made it happen and was struck with a sudden sense of fear when Yugi suddenly fell.

Yami was by Yugi's side in an instant, kneeling on the ground while he pulled Yugi's body against his own. The boy was warm, a comforting feeling since it meant that the other teen was not going to die because of overuse of his energy.

"He's going to be fine Yami", came Seto's voice from nearby. The brunet had also crouched down to check on Yugi's condition. "You said yourself that he is inexperienced. He simply used a too strong spell by accident."

Nodding his head in agreement Yami lifted his gaze to look at the other side of the fading battlefield. What he saw surprised him and he pointed to the direction in order to have Seto confirm what he was seeing.

Turning his head to the direction pointed to him Seto frowned deeply before commenting: "They're gone." And with those words Yami knew that he was seeing right. Both of the cloaked figures that had attacked them were gone now. Yami wondered how the two had managed to disappear without either him or Seto noticing, especially since they had been injured by Yugi's attack. Even though the attack had not been coordinated well, their shield ring had been weakened by Seto's attacks, making it vulnerable to Yugi's finishing blow.

The last of the duelling area faded away then, making the trio reappear in the cart they had been in before the battle had begun. Yami looked around to see that the cart was completely fine before glancing down at Yugi and seeing that the boy was beginning to stir.

&&&&&&&

Awareness returned to Yugi slowly. He felt extremely disoriented as he wondered where in the world he was. The first thing he became completely aware of was the warm body close to him and the arms holding onto him.

Yugi opened his eyes and saw Yami's deep red eyes gazing back into his own. He smiled softly and saw Yami smile back. Then he felt the other teen's lips on his own.

The kiss was gentle and experimental and Yugi instantly responded to it. He felt a strange warmth in his throat, the sensation turning into a burning feeling that had Yugi whimpering in pain. Yami instantly pulled back and looked at the smaller boy in worry.

"Yugi?" Yami asked quietly. "What's wrong, Yugi?"

Shaking his head Yugi breathed heavily, feeling like he was on fire all over. But still, somehow he knew that nothing was really wrong. It felt like everything was actually going to alright finally. The feeling of burning faded away soon enough and a smile spread on Yugi's smile as he met Yami's curious gaze.

"Thank you, Yami", Yugi spoke softly, his voice hoarse and throat sore. "You recognized me… You knew it was me." He reached up and wrapped his arms around Yami's neck, hugging the taller teen close. "Thank you."

"Yugi", Yami breathed, embracing the boy back. "You can talk again." There was a bright, happy laugh from the crimson-eyed youth, one that Yugi responded to with a laugh of his own.

"Oh please", came a cold drawl from right next to the two. Yami and Yugi turned their heads as one to look at an aggravated Seto. The brunet was glaring at them with a deep frown on his face and Yugi was suddenly very aware of the fact that he and Yami had just kissed while they had had an audience. A very cynical audience at that.

"Sorry", Yugi mumbled while he made to stand up but was stopped by Yami's arms around him. The other boy seemed to catch on, though, and got up from the floor while pulling Yugi up with him. Still Yami did not release his hold on the smaller boy, clearly not bothered by the looks the tallest member of their group was giving them.

"Buzz off, Seto", Yami shot at the brunet. "You're just jealous."

"What do I have to be jealous of?" Seto snapped as his glare deepened. "And how in the world did your little sprite friend turn human?"

Yugi noticed that Yami was just about to give his reply but was then cut off by a thump that came from right over their heads. Yugi glanced up and heard a yelp and another thump. Then he was roughly tossed to the side when Seto pushed past him to the other side of the cart. Yugi fell right into Yami's arms and watched with wide and surprised eyes when Seto reached out right beneath the edge of the ceiling, only to have someone fall right into his arms. The brunet held on tightly to the person and quickly pulled them into the cart, falling on the floor with a blond boy sitting in his lap.

It had been surprising to say the least, and Yugi guessed that this must be that boy named Jou who Yami had said that Seto had 'ditched', whatever the word meant.

"Sorry!" the bond boy exclaimed and jumped off of Seto, taking a few uneven steps back and steadying himself by grabbing the bench behind him. Seto also got back up with a short grunt as he shot the new boy an even angrier glare that Yugi and Yami had gotten. Yugi noticed that the cart had started moving upwards and wondered how come it seemed that no one had noticed anything out of ordinary happen.

"I thought I told you to stay in the cart!" Seto shouted out and Yugi actually jumped. He was so startled. The brunet had previously spoken in such a calm manner and now he was yelling so loudly. "Can't you even follow such a simple instruction?"

"I almost fell and that's all you have to say for me?" the blond-haired boy shouted back. He stepped close to the brunet and landed a punch on his chest. "Jerk!"

Seto stepped back a bit because of the blow but his facial expression did not change the slightest and he was able to continue in the same angry manner from before: "That's the whole reason I told you to stay put! I didn't want that to happen!" The brunet reached out and grabbed a hold of the shorter teen's arm, starting to pull him closer. "Now come here and let me make sure you aren't injured."

Jou bit his lip and Yugi noticed him squeeze his eyes shut only a brief moment before he threw himself at Seto, hugging the tall brunet tightly. His tone was soft as he spoke out: "Thanks for catching me."

Having gone completely stiff from apparent surprise Seto did not reply to Jou's words and the blond seemed to catch on, jumping back from the brunet before mumbling a hurried apology. Seto came back to motion then and laid a hand on top of the shorter boy's head, burying his hand into the soft-looking locks.

"It's okay, puppy", Seto said in a gentle manner and Yugi noticed the blond blush furiously. He wondered how close the two of them really were. They did not seem to be merely friends with the way they seemed to be so comfortable with touching each other.

"Didn't anyone notice the duel?" Yugi piped up suddenly, determined to get an answer to the question that was bothering him. It also seemed that there would have been a rather uncomfortable silence coming.

"There isn't any commotion so apparently no one noticed", Yami replied with a shrug. The star-haired youth frowned. "It could have been caused by some kind of eluding magical field, meant to keep any outsiders from noticing anything wrong."

"Did you see the duel field Jou?" Seto questioned, turning to the only member of the group who had not participated in the duel. The blond nodded his head and the brunet immediately spoke out his own suspicion: "I'm guessing on a special type of spell. It's cast on the target that s wanted to be kept hidden. No one will be able to see it unless they know what they are looking for."

"Makes sense", Yami agreed with a nod of his head. "No one would expect to see a duel take place on top of a Ferris Wheel."

Even though he had never heard of such spells before, Yugi could see the reason in the creation of such a form of magic. It would be troublesome to try and cast a spell on a whole town to keep them from seeing the battle. It was much easier to simply hide the arena from any curious eyes, even though Yugi wondered what kind of magic activated such an effect. Still, it was clear that both Yami and Seto knew this spell-type, so that made it possible enough for Yugi.

"You saw the duel, Jou", Yami started while he turned to the fourth member of their group. Jou nodded his head again, but also added: "I was too far off to see what exactly happened but I did see all the spells being cast. That's why I waited until it was over before coming over, I didn't want to get into touch with an active field."

Yugi briefly wondered what was so bad about touching a duel field; it had not felt strange to him. He kept quietly to himself, though, not sure if he should reveal to Seto and Jou that he was not really human at all. He kept his attention focused on the discussion going on between Yami and Jou, wondering what the crimson-eyed teen was getting at.

"Did you see two people leave the arena right before it faded?" Yami asked and Yugi immediately realized that he was trying to find out where their attackers went. "They were dressed in dark brown cloaks."

Jou shook his head, looking apologetic as he spoke: "I saw them fall down, or more like levitate. They disappeared into the crowd and I lost sight of them." The blond shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea what direction they went to."

"Damn", Yami muttered with a deep frown. "I would have wanted to know where they came from…"

"From the forest, I bet", Seto spoke emotionlessly and Yugi shot the tall boy a startled look. Did the brunet already know his secret? How long had he known? Yugi glanced over at Jou to see the blond looking at Seto curiously before asking: "Why would they be from the forest? Does anyone even live there?"

"It's a wide area", Yami spoke out, cutting Seto off before the brunet could do as much as open his mouth. "Who know what's hidden there, and there aren't many other places close by." Seto was glaring at Yami but the star-haired youth seemed immune to the look.

"What did they want?" Jou asked then. Yugi knew the question had been coming, because it was not every day some cloaked people came up and attacked people you knew.

"Beats me", Yami replied in a very convincing manner in Yugi's opinion. Still there was an odd, unreadable look on Jou's face before the blond turned towards Seto and gave the brunet a curious look. Seto shrugged his shoulders and Yugi released a quiet sigh of relief. Jou seemed satisfied with getting an affirmation from Seto and went quiet with his questioning, a fact Yugi was grateful for. The small boy did not want too many people knowing his secret and yet the inside group seemed to be growing all the time. He was a human now, and he could hardly wait until he got to tell Hiroto and Malik the good news. And Marik as well, of course.

When the four teens finally got to leave the Ferris Wheel, they were all very curious to see how the man taking care of the ride would react to them. The reaction would serve as a very important clue to what spell the two attackers had used to elude the crowd, according to Seto and Yami. And since Jou had seemed to agree Yugi decided that this was a normal manner of dealing with things in the human world.

The man did not seem to notice anything strange in the fact that the two groups of two he had let into the ride separately were now coming out as one large group. The man simply smiled at them and wished them a happy day.

"He did not seem spelled to me", Yugi pointed out when the group stopped on the street a good deal away from the Ferris Wheel. Seto and Yami exchanged knowing looks and Yugi immediately knew he was missing something.

"Of, he had been enchanted, all right", Yami pointed out with a confident smirk. "That's a certain kind of confusing spell that creates a happy feeling in a person, making them oblivious to anything and everything going on around them."

"Couldn't he just be happy because he's having a good day?" Yugi pointed out, feeling confused. Was it abnormal for humans to be happy? Was it always caused by either a special event or a spell? There were so many things he did not understand.

"He was far from being Mr. Sunshine earlier when we got on the ride", Seto replied in a stern manner. Yami also nodded his head and added in a teasing manner: "And I bet you noticed that only because he was glaring at Jou, didn't you?" When Seto's face was taken over by a dark look Yami quickly grew serious and hurried to speak: "He had a very deep scowl on his face when we were getting on. I'm betting his day has been nothing but bad so far."

When Yugi turned to look at Jou, he noticed that the blond had a small red hue on his cheeks, probably caused by Yami's earlier words. The blond had just laughed brightly and now pointed out: "That means the spell-caster was actually doing the guy a favour!"

Yami grinned in agreement to the words and Yugi also released a small giggle. Seto stayed silent but there was a small twitch of lips from the brunet.

_**To be continued…**_


	16. Mai's Game

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 16**

**Mai's Game**

Yugi and Jou were sitting on a bench while Seto and Yami were standing a bit further away, discussing something intently. Yugi felt a bit cheated that Yami would discuss the attack with Seto and not him, but he guessed it was only fair that someone would stay outside of the conversation with Jou. It would have been even more unfair to leave the blond to his own devices, not to mention suspicious.

"You know, Yami and Seto are pretty well-known because their fathers are big corporate chiefs", Jou spoke out suddenly, bringing Yugi out of his thoughts. "Maybe that's the reason behind the attack; someone tried to get to their father through them." It was a good assumption but Yugi knew it was far from the truth. But he did really think he was ready to tell Jou his story just yet.

"How do you know Seto?" Yugi asked then. He decided that since Jou was being friendly enough with him, he could also participate in the conversation. Jou smiled at the shorter boy before replying: "We have some courses together and I ended up as his partner to dual magic class. I happened to be the one with the second best score from the exam. Seto got the highest grade."

"Do you like him? Seto, I mean", Yugi questioned. Jou blushed a deep red before nodding his head and tilting his head to the side.

"Sure I like him", the blond replied before grinning at Yugi playfully. "Just like you like Yami."

"Eh?" Yugi exclaimed in surprise, his eyes widening. "How did you know?"

"It's so obvious it's almost painful", Jou said with a laugh. "I mean, it's not like two are trying to hide it." The blond froze a moment before adding quietly: "You aren't trying to hide it, are you?"

"No, I don't think so", Yugi replied with a shake of his head. He then turned his gaze back to the two boys standing a small distance away. "I wonder if they'll be done soon."

"Who knows", Jou replied in a nonchalant manner as he leaned back against the backrest of the wooden bench. Yugi turned his head to look at the blond and saw Jou stare at him intently. He wondered if he had managed to get something on his face and spoke out: "What is it?"

"I was just wondering…" Jou muttered and tilted his head to the side. "So you're the kind of guy Yami likes." The blond smiled in a friendly manner and leaned slightly closer to Yugi, like he was searching for something. Finally the blond straightened himself and spoke: "You're cute, like a kitten." He reached out and ruffled Yugi's hair as he said this.

Yugi blinked in a confused manner at the choice of words but before he could dwell any more on it, a shout rang in the street, reaching his ears: "Hey, there you are! What was the deal with ditching me like that?"

Turning to the direction the sound was coming from, briefly noticing Jou's body turn also, Yugi saw a familiar white-haired boy run towards them. Yami and Seto had also stopped talking to look at Bakura who had by now reached them.

That as when Yugi remembered that Bakura had said something about spending the day with Jou. Apparently the blond sitting next to Yugi at the moment was that same Jou. Indeed, the blond youth next to Yugi spoke out with apology written in his voice: "Sorry about that, Bakura. Kaiba just grew tired of you taking ages to pick a present."

There was a snort from Bakura as the albino shot a glare at Seto before turning at Jou and grumbling: "More like he wanted to drag you off to smooch with him. So, how was it?"

"How was what?" Jou questioned with a curious blink, tilting his head to the side. Bakura blinked right back, looking somewhat startled by the fact that Jou did not know what he was talking about. Yugi knew it had something to do with this 'smooching' activity but he was not sure what the word exactly meant. Perhaps Jou didn't know it either.

"The smooching, you idiot", Bakura snapped heatedly. "Was Kaiba any good?"

"How should I know?" Jou asked with a deep, angry frown. "We're not dating so we don't do things like that."

"Are you stupid or something?" Bakura asked with a slow sigh, only to release a pained yelp immediately afterwards. Yugi saw Seto pulling on some of the snowy white hair and was wondering why the brunet exactly was angry. Was it because Bakura had been mean to Jou, or because the albino had implied they had been engaged in this 'smooching' activity?

Bakura whirled around and began a heated argument with Seto, one that Yami tried desperately to stop. For once Yugi's attention was not on the star-haired teen, though. He was deep in thought. He had heard a lot of strange things in a short time, making the former sprite realize that it would be difficult for him to fit in among humans. But Yugi was above all bothered by the way Jou had spoken to him, and the way the blond had looked at him before it.

Even though the blond was being friendly towards the small boy, his words had Yugi feeling uneasy. Why had he chosen to say 'kitten' and not some other animal? Even though Jou's affections towards Seto seemed genuine, Yugi was suspicious of the blond. Yugi had been a cat sprite. The two people who had attacked Yugi and Yami, they had known this. They had even called Yugi 'kitten'. The female one had had a familiar voice. The woman had most likely been Ishizu, but the other person's identity was still unknown. It had been too short to be Marik, though. There were not many clues to go by, except the person's height, since the other attacker had not spoken a word.

Yugi turned to look at Jou and took advantage of the fact that the blond was completely focused on the fight going on. This was Yugi's chance to measure up the other boy. He could just as well be Ishizu's height, maybe slightly taller. There was the possibility that if made stand side by side, Jou might just as well match the size of the silent attacker. Yugi needed to find out what elements Jou used in his magic, that would be the last clue to the truth. It would be the best way to find out if Jou really was the other cloaked figure.

&&&&&&&

The mirror surface brought forth a vision: two boys with similar hairstyles wrapped in each other's arms, kissing tenderly. A vicious grimace appeared on a beautiful face, the small nose getting wrinkled from the powerful emotion of distaste that the woman was feeling.

"They…kissed?" Mai snarled angrily. She squeezed her hands into tight fists as she grit her teeth together, fighting the urge to slam the mirror into tiny shards. Her mouth opened and a high-pitched scream was released: "Argh! I can't believe it!" The woman bit at her hand, glaring at the mirror and mumbling against the skin: "I was so sure he would never make it."

There was a sound of nearing footsteps from behind and Mai waved her hand across the mirror, wiping it clear of the disgusting sight of her loss. In the vision's place there was now her reflection and also the outline of a male figure. Brown hair flared around a youthful face and blue eyes flashed at her with some amusement. The man's face was framed by glistening scales and he had sharp teeth that were in plain sight as the brunet grinned. The man was wearing leather gauntlets, but Mai knew they hid scaled hands underneath their material. The man also had sharp nails and a long, pale green tail swinging slowly behind him. He was also wearing a leather vest and pants.

"Apparently you shouldn't have underestimated little Yugi so much", the man spoke with laughter in his voice. "You gave him too much time to complete the challenge."

"I'm in no mood for any of your criticism right now, Valon, so save it for another time, unless you actually want me to feast on your immortal soul", Mai snapped at the man before biting the nail of her thumb in aggravation. Why was everything falling apart?

"Why did you want that little boy so much anyway?" Valong questioned with clear distaste in his voice. "He's small and cowardly, all in all very pathetic."

"I would never expect you to understand just what it is that we have here", Mai spoke while running a hand through her lush hair. Valon did not seem to be bothered by her attitude as he simply said: "How about you explain it to me then, hon?"

"Why bother?" Mai huffed confidently. "It's not like you need to know, so I might just as well leave you ignorant."

"Come on", Valon pleaded, walking up right behind Mai. "Just one little hint." The last bit was spoken right into the blonde's ear. Mai turned her head to the side a bit, meeting blue eyes with her violet ones.

"Well, maybe a little one…" she conceded with a sultry smile to the man. "Little Yugi has a power that has not been seen in centuries. People with rare power signatures are drawn to him for one reason or another. Once we seize him we will have all the magical subtract we need to complete the ancient ritual." A sinister smirk came on her lips. "Is that enough of a hint?"

"That will do, even though I don't understand how the twerp would be able to be so powerful", Valon commented as he wrapped his arms around Mai's slim waist. "It's not like he has many good spells."

"The point is in what kind of magic he has, not how many forms he can make it take", Mai replied with a small singing note to her voice. Valon simply planted a kiss on her bare shoulder before muttering: "Whatever. Do what you will. All I care about is the ending result. Lords know we have been waiting long enough for this."

Mai smiled slightly before turning her gaze back to the mirror, observing the intertwined bodies shown in the reflection. Mai stared into her mirror-self's eyes before speaking slowly: "Indeed."

&&&&&&&

"So, now can you tell me what you and Jou-kun were doing at the town?" Ryou questioned immediately after trading greetings with Bakura after the taller teen's town visit. The two were currently in the library, the exact place where Bakura had found the other boy in the middle of a focused studying session.

"Certainly", Bakura replied with a very self-satisfied smirk. Now he would show Ryou exactly how much the other teen meant to him, in means of classical courtship. When Bakura had bragged about this plan to Kaiba and Jou on the way to town, Jou had called it shameless bribery while Kaiba had looked interested. The sneaky bastard was probably wondering if he could somehow steal Bakura's idea for his own quest of getting Jou in his bed. Bakura was not one to preach about the unity of friendship (that was Anzu's forte, than you very much), but he still felt a strange anger at the thought of his only friend being used in such a manner. The albino had started to feel better ever since he had noticed how obviously smitten Kaiba was with the friend in question, however.

"There was a very good reason for me not being able to tell you about it before now", Bakura explained as he brought his hand to his jacket pocket, grasping the small gift box he had hidden there within his fist. He hoped so much that Ryou would like his present.

"Oh?" Ryou questioned and lifted a sceptical eyebrow. "And what might that reason be?"

Bakura flashed the shorter boy a disarming grin before saying in a mischievous manner: "It would have ruined the surprise." And with that he pulled the box out of his pocket and offered it to Ryou. "This is for you."

There was an absolutely astonished look on Ryou's face when he took the box. It was a flat box with a square shape and the shorter boy pushed it open carefully. A brilliant smile appeared on his lips, seemingly lighting up his whole face.

"Thank you", Ryou breather out softly as he pulled the necklace out of the box. "Oh, this is simply brilliant."

It came completely out of the blue. Suddenly Ryou's arms were around Bakura's neck as the shorter boy gave the taller one a firm hug. Ryou pulled away quickly as well, before Bakura had a chance to hug the other teen back. Bakura looked at the small smile that still adorned Ryou's face, along with a pale pink blush. Bakura's grin softened into a smile as the taller albino spoke out: "I can put it on if you'd like."

"Thank you", Ryou repeated before handing the necklace to Bakura. He then turned around and held his hair to the side with his hand while Bakura placed the small trinket around his neck. After sliding the lock shut Bakura only barely resisted the urge to plant a kiss on the neck displayed so openly for him.

"All done", he said instead and stepped away, allowing Ryou to turn around. The shorter boy was looking at Bakura with open affection before a curious look appeared on his face suddenly. Bakura stepped back a bit when Ryou suddenly walked closer to him and took something between his fingers, something that was currently hanging around Bakura's neck on a thin chain.

"This necklace…" Ryou mumbled as he brought the object closer for inspection. "It's the same one you bought for me, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Bakura said and felt his cheeks heat up ever so slightly. "I thought it was a good design so I wanted one for myself as well."

Ryou looked up and Bakura's eyes fell on the sweet smile that had appeared on the shorter boy's face. Ryou's cheeks tinted pink as he spoke out softly: "So we have matching necklaces, then?"

"Yeah…" was Bakura's response and the taller teen instantly thought how one-sided his lines seemed to be becoming. "Is that a bad thing?" Bakura then questioned carefully. There was a shake of head from Ryou before the other boy replied: "It's not bad at all, Bakura. I'd love to share something with you like this." Ryou's smiled widened as he spoke. "I think it was very sweet of you to come up with something like this."

"Only for you, Ryou", Bakura answered instantly and he once again saw the same look of sincere happiness on Ryou's face that had been there a moment before the smaller boy had hugged him. When Ryou stepped closer Bakura expected to receive another hug and smiled in anticipation. Ryou jumped at Bakura but instead of throwing his arms around the taller boy's neck like Bakura had been expecting the shorter teen took Bakura's head between his hands, holding on gently. Then he leaned upwards and kissed the other boy.

It was not a mind-blowing smooch with a lot of passion and tongue, but a simple peck on the cheek. Still, despite his vast experience in the area of making out, Bakura felt absolutely elevated by the gesture.

&&&&&&&

"So, did you have fun today?" Yami questioned from Yugi while the two of them were walking down a school corridor side by side. Bakura had run off as soon as they had arrived back at school, to give Ryou his gift no doubt. Seto and Jou had been the second ones to disappear, when the brunet had offered to walk the shorter teen to his room. Now it was just Yami and Yugi, headed towards the room the latter one shared with Ryou.

"Yes", Yugi replied with a happy sigh. "Your world is so amazing Yami. I can't believe all the things you have that we don't." Eager to learn more Yugi reached out and grasped Yami's arm. "Bakura said he was taking Ryou to town tomorrow? Can we go there again then as well?"

"I would love to Yugi", Yami replied with a tender smile to the smaller boy, one that had Yugi blushing beat red. "But I'm worried about those attackers. What if they try to hurt you again?"

"I don't want to cover in fear for the rest of my life", Yugi said firmly. "I want to enjoy my new life. And besides, I don't think they will be coming after me again."

"But why do you think that?" Yami questioned curiously. "Did you actually know those people? Does it have something to do with you becoming a human?"

"I will tell you at another time, okay?" Yugi said in a soft tone of voice. There was a sigh from Yami but the taller teen nodded his head nonetheless. Yugi smiled at the other boy before speaking out: "I will tell you all about it, Yami, I promise."

"I trust you, Yugi", Yami said with a small smile. "And if you really think it will be safe for you to go outside again, then would be more than happy to go with you tomorrow."

"I want to go outing again", Yugi spoke with conviction. Then he thought a bit. The mention of the attack had once again reminded Yugi of the questions bothering him, most of them having everything to do with the boy named Jou.

"Yami", Yugi spoke out as he met Yami's gaze once more. "What element does Jou use?" 'Please don't say fire and darkness', Yugi repeated over and over again in his head, like the mantra would alter Yami's answer into a desired one. There was no such luck, however, when the crimson-eyed boy replied without the slightest bit of hesitation: "He uses fire and darkness. Why do you ask?"

"No reason!" Yugi hurried to answer, releasing his grip on Yami's arm, while his stomach tied itself into a tight knot and his heart started hammering against his chest. "I was just curious, since I got to see human magic for the first time today."

"I will gladly show you more, Yugi", Yami assured before wrapping an arm around Yugi's shoulders. Yugi wanted to feel excited about the promise but the small ex-sprite was simply too worried to be happy. Forcing a smile on his face he beamed at Yami and cheered: "Great!" Inside the young boy tried to convince himself that fire and darkness was probably a common combination, and did not mean that the kind boy he had met that day was one of the people who had been out to destroy his happiness.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: I simply loved writing that bit of BakuraxRyou in this chapter!


	17. Showdown

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 17**

**Showdown**

It was the best day of Yugi's life. The former sprite had been able to forget all his worries in Yami's company and simply enjoyed spending time with the gentle and kind human. For the whole day spent in Lorice Yugi had not once thought about the attack of the previous day, or the suspicions he had towards Jou. The blond in question had dragged Seto off when the brunet and Yami had completely ignored Yugi and Jou in favour of playing different games against each other. Yami had ended up winning almost every game, which had resulted in the pile of soft, animal-shaped figures Yugi's arms were filled with.

Yugi was happy to be able to spend time alone with Yami, without Seto's piercing gaze out to seek out all of his secrets. The small boy was also glad to be rid of Jou's overly friendly smiles that were always accompanied by a deep look from the warmly colored brown eyes. Jou may seem careless on the outside but on the inside he seemed to be closer to being like Seto than neither of the two teens in question wanted to admit.

Even though Jou's persistent gazes had Yugi feeling uncomfortable, the boy always forgot all about them when the blond was not present and actively staring at the shorter teen. Because of this Yugi had been able to enjoy the day to its fullest.

"Yami", Yugi started when he and Yami walked side by side on a road, heading back to the Lorestone academy. The taller teen hummed to show he was listening and Yugi went on: "I think I'm ready to tell you about what happened." That immediately caught Yami's complete attention and his crimson eyes locked with Yugi's amethyst ones.

"I made a deal with this witch, her name was Mai, to become human. She wanted my voice in return but also gave me a challenge to complete for the spell to become unbreakable". Yugi explained while Yami listened intently. "The challenge was for me to get you to kiss me within the week, which you did." Yugi smiled up at Yami and the gesture was returned without hesitation. "That's why I know that Mai won't try anything again. She lost and I won. She has no power over me anymore."

"So we don't have to worry about her?" Yami questioned with a lifted eyebrow. "Are you sure you can trust her?"

"No", Yugi spoke out simply. "I don't trust her one bit. But that pact we made was binding. She can't go against her own writing. Unless she offers me a new deal she can't do anything to me, and I'm not going to accept any more favours from that witch."

"That's good to hear", Yami said in an agreeing manner. "I will keep a close eye out for her as well. I'm not letting her come close to you."

"Thank you, Yami", Yugi said while he grasped Yami's hand within his. The taller boy instantly responded to the grip and Yugi spoke again: "Would you like to meet my friends, Yami? I think they would like to see the person who has captured my heart."

"Of course", Yami said with an eager nod. "I'd love to learn more about your past."

"Great", Yugi said with a bright smile and began tugging Yami along as he headed into the depths of the school garden. The two had reached the school grounds during their conversation.

Yami followed along without any complaints or resistance as Yugi lead the way to the trees separating the forest from the garden. Yugi had not had time to meet his friends in almost two days, since he had been so focused on Yami and the dates the other boy had taken him on.

"Malik, Hiroto, Marik!" Yugi called as soon as he broke out from the shade of the trees. In a flash Hiroto and Malik appeared out of their hiding places.

"Yugi!" Malik exclaimed as he threw himself at Yugi and hugged the small boy tightly, forcing him to release his hold on Yami's hand. "You have your voice back! It's a miracle!"

"Thanks for having faith in me", Yugi grumbled in a put out manner and Malik broke into joyous laughter.

"It's so great to hear you talk again!" Malik cheered as he fussed over Yugi. "So, how was the kiss? Was it satisfactory?"

"Definitely satisfactory", Yugi replied with a deep blush spreading on his cheeks. "And I'm hoping for many more of those in the future." Yugi shot a shy glance at Yami as he said this. The red-eyed youth only smiled at him and spoke in a low voice: "I would be happy to oblige, Little One."

It was then that Yugi realized that he had not introduced everyone to each other properly yet. He turned completely to Yami before starting to speak: "Yami, these are my two best friends in the whole world, Malik and Hiroto." He indicated to each sprite as he spoke their names. Then he turned to Malik and Hiroto. "Malik, Hiroto, this is Yami, my boyfriend." The last word brought Yugi's blush back with a vengeance, but no one made fun of it as Malik released a rather feminine squeal of delight.

"Pleasure meeting you", Hiroto said politely as he offered his hand to Yami to shake. The human showed no signs of being startled by the fact that Yugi's friends were immune to gravity as he accepted the offered appendage and shook it shortly before replying: "Likewise."

"Where is Marik?" Yugi questioned from Malik after Yami and Hiroto had gotten somewhat acquainted. The tan sprite shrugged his shoulders as he muttered: "What am I? His keeper? He said that he had to go back to his sister, that it had something to do with his pact."

At that point Yugi remembered the one thing he had seemingly been ignoring this whole time; Marik was under contract, so he could not be freed from Mai. But perhaps they could do something…

"Did he say when he will be back?" Yugi questioned and Malik released a sigh before replying: "He said that he will be returning as soon as he is able to, which could be days or even weeks."

"I wonder if there is a way to free him from his pact with Mai…" Yugi wondered out loud. Malik tilted his head to the side, not arguing the suggestion like Yugi had been expecting, and then spoke out: "We could probably look into that." Then the floating fox boy lowered himself to speak softly, so that only Yugi could hear: "Did you know that Marik is a full adult?"

"How do you know?" Yugi questioned with a surprised blink. The taller boy looked completely serious as he answered: "I saw him sleeping on a branch last night. **On** it, not over it. Gravity affects him, so he's of age."

"Okay", Yugi said, knowing that piece of reasoning to be true. Then he paused briefly before looking at Malik in a confused manner: "But Malik, why exactly were you watching Marik sleep in the first place?"

There was no verbal response from Malik. The fox sprite merely blushed beet red.

&&&&&&&

The next day Yugi went to watch Yami's Dual Magic class. Since Yugi was a new student and therefore had not taken the exam to participate in this course, he was not allowed to take part in any of the spell-casting taking place. He was still ecstatic to be there and was waiting anxiously for the chance to see Yami casting spells from an outsider's point of view.

The lesson started, when a stern woman with the eyes of a hawk started to speak in a loud voice: "Due to a request we will be starting today's lesson with a duel fought between voluntary opponents. The two teams to hand out this request were the team of Mazaki and Atemu, and the team of Kaiba and Jounouchi."

Yugi wondered who these people were and so he was extremely surprised when he saw Yami walking to the centre of the room, where an open space had been cleared, accompanied by Seto, Jou and a brown-haired girl.

Yami had teamed up with the girl while Seto and Jou took their places on the other side of the space cleared out by the students and in an instant a familiar black battle arena was spread out between and around the two teams. Yugi felt a pang of jealousy when he watched the girl standing so close to his Yami but he forced those feelings down in favour of giving the coming duel his all attention. He would have to see what kind of spells Jou used in order to finally stop suspecting the blond without any solid proof.

&&&&&&&

This was the one thing Seto had been waiting for ever since this course in question had started. Finally he was going to face Yami in a duel, and he was going to win. There was no way Yami could beat him and Jou with the slug Anzu as his partner.

"Come on now Jou, are you ready to fight for me?" Seto asked from the blond standing beside him. There was a nod from Jou and Seto briefly noted that for some reason the shorter teen did not seem all that ready or eager at all. Seto ignored this however, as he activated Battle Level 3 and a red shield ring surrounded the two. Yami and Anzu were also using a red ring.

"I will take care of attacking. You focus on the defensive spells", Seto said to Jou and the blond gave him another mute nod. Seto then turned his focus on Yami and Anzu and saw that Yami was going to be the first to attack and whispered to Jou: "There's a spell coming from Yami. Be ready."

"Dark Energy!" Yami called and a blast of pure energy headed towards Seto and Jou. Jou reacted instantly, throwing his arm up and casting Dark Inferno. Yami's attack sank into the black flames and then the fire was snuffed out, giving Seto room to cast his offensive spell.

"White Lightning!" Seto commanded and his spell rushed towards Yami and Anzu. The girl brought her hands up, calling forth a new spell that she had not known during their previous lesson: "Gale!"

Sharp winds neutralized Seto's attack and the brunet had to admit that Anzu had been doing her homework. Still he was not about to give in just yet and prepared to start a second spell while Yami launched his own; a lightning fast flash, even if a slim one. Jou would have to be fast to block that.

"Dark Inferno!" Jou shouted at his firewall rose again, just in time. It seemed that the firewall was not the best choice of defence, however, when the energy shock pierced right through the spell and slammed into the shield ring, making it quiver slightly. The hit had not been a damaging one, but it was still a hit in their opponents' favour and Seto wondered if it would be more effective to trade places with Jou to prevent any more of those spells from pushing through.

It seemed that not only did Yami's lightning spell move fast, but it was also fast to cast. Seto became very aware of this when he saw Yami throw another one. Seto quickly channelled the energy he had gathered into a defensive spell and quickly spoke to Jou: "We need to trade places." He did not give Jou any time to respond when he already cast his spell: "Solar!" This time Yami's little lightning did not stand a chance.

"Are you ready to attack Jou?" Seto quickly asked from Jou, who nodded and threw his arm forth, throwing a spiralling burst of fire towards Yami and Anzu. Anzu called forth another Gale spell but the wind seemed to only make Jou's flames grow as the fire licked at the shied right, making the light flicker as it weakened. Anzu blew another gale of wind and this time managed to push the flames away and finally extinguish them.

"That was a good move", Seto commented to Jou before he noticed the pose Yami had taken. He was standing with his feet far apart, like he was trying to keep himself steady. Seto immediately knew what spell the star-haired boy was preparing, since Yami knew only one spell that kicked back that much.

"This is going to hurt", Seto commented to Jou as he started to gather his energy for a shield. He did not know if he could block that attack, since he did not know a shield spell with a high enough level to compete with was about to come.

Yami seemed to finally be ready when he brought out his hands and bellowed the name of his spell, the sound seemingly echoing in the air: "Impulse!"

Seto literally did not see it coming. The attack consisted completely of invisible energy but that did not make it into any less of a threat. Seto acted quickly, pouring all of his energy into a single spell that he then cast: "Solar!"

The shield of light looked strong but Seto still was not sure if it could counter Yami's attack or even lessen the damage it would do. Yami really did to want to win if he was using such a draining spell without much prompting. Seto felt his legs shake slightly and hoped that Jou did not notice. A brief flash of brown told him otherwise however, and the seriousness of the situation dawned on he blond. It was clear that Jou also knew that everything came down to the next couple of attacks launched.

There was a loud sound that reminded the pang of a gong and Seto finally looked directly at Jou to see the blond already gathering energy. He was also going to serve out a spell of a bigger sort.

Just then the shield gave in and Yami's spell slammed against their shield ring, making it shake and flicker. There was an exclamation from Jou but Seto could not help the blond; he was too busy with trying to stay on his feet and not collapse.

When the shakes of the rig and the floor they were standing on faded away Seto noticed that their shield ring looked like it was not going to be able to take any more punishment. The bright red glow had now dulled into such a dull shade that it was almost brown. No matter how weak, the next attack would make them the losers.

Beside Seto, Jou straightened his posture and the brunet glanced at the shorter teen to see a steely expression on the normally happy face. Seto was momentarily completely dumbfounded by the unexpected look on his puppy's face and he was snapped back out of his daze when Jou shouted out his attack, his voice holding quite possibly even more volume than Yami's had: "Darkness Assault!"

The spell that was cast was an enormous mass of what seemed to be pure darkness, completely formless and twisting in a manner that made it look alive. The spell seemed familiar to Seto but the brunet ignored that in favour of watching how Anzu planned on defending against that attack.

The brown-haired girl looked at the dark mass with a look of unadulterated fear and horror on her face. She seemed to be completely unable to defend when she released a terrified shriek and covered her face with her hands. The girl seemed to be unable to look directly at the ominous attack. Yami realized that his partner was useless one moment too late and so he had no time to cast even the feeblest of shields before the spell hit their shield ring, snuffing it out of existence in a manner that gave Seto the impression of the spell eating the light.

In a flash the battlefield disappeared and light seemed to shine on the two teams again. A visibly shaking Yami was currently helping a pitifully sobbing Anzu to her feet and Seto wondered how big of a scolding their teacher was going to give him and Jou, and how long it would take for them the get out of detention. These thoughts had Seto turning his gaze and attention to Jou, only to notice that the blond was not standing beside him anymore. Not sure why, Seto directed gaze downwards and found Jou. The blond was lying on the floor, clearly having given the spell his all.

Deciding that he would not lose face by doing so, Seto knelt down to see if Jou was able to stand. The brunet then noticed that Jou's eyes were closed.

"Jou?" Seto questioned, his tone clearly worried. Deep brown eyes blinked open then, but refused to open fully. Jou looked at Seto dazedly as he breathed heavily, managing to gasp out a question: "Did…did we win?"

"Yes…" Seto replied softly. "Yes we did."

"That's…great", Jou said with a small smile and Seto lifted an eyebrow before asking: "Why do you care so much about winning? You never have before."

"It's because you care so much about winning", Jou answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Then the blond's voice grew weak even though it was clearly sad as he finished weakly: "I don't want to be abandoned for someone stronger."

Seto was about to ask Jou what he meant when Jou sighed softly and his eyes slid shut. The brunet gripped Jou's shoulder and called the blond's name but received no response. Jou had clearly lost consciousness and, with the serious mental strain the blond was now under after that spell, that would be extremely dangerous, possibly even life threatening.

"Jou!" Seto shouted as she shook the blond but received no response. There were many voices growing in volume around him and Seto realized that the students were gathering to see what was going on. Seto ignored them all in favour of focusing completely on Jou, however. He quickly swept the smaller boy up into his arms and stood up. The teacher had also come closer to see if something was wrong but Seto rushed past her without a word, an act so rude that he never would have done it under any other circumstances.

Running down the corridors towards the nurse's office Seto's attention was completely focused on the precious burden in his arms, and making sure his puppy would be all right.

'Come on Jou, you're stronger than this…' the brunet thought to himself as he squeezed Jou closer to his chest in a protective gesture. 'Don't leave me.'

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: I'm so evil, but at least there was finally some MarikxMalik progress. Also, there has been a request for me to include the OtogixHiroto pairing into this fic as well. I'm not yet sure if I can fit that into the plotline but I would still be interested to know if people would want for some of that on the side. I don't have much experience with writing the pairing in question and the two are pretty minor characters so any OtogixHiroto would most likely stay as very small.


	18. The Jou Question

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 18**

**The Jou Question**

Yami had never been more shocked in his life than when he saw Jou cast the Darkness Assault spell. How was it possible that two completely different people that had nothing to do with each other could both know such a high-level spell?

Approaching his cousin, Yami decided to see how Jou was doing but was forced to jump back when Seto suddenly stood up with Jou lying limp in his arms. The blond was clearly unconscious since he was not protesting in any manner. Yami watched mutely as Seto completely ignored everything and everyone around him, even the teacher, as he started to quickly make his way out of the room to get Jou the help he needed.

Completely focused on observing Seto's departure, Yami was thoroughly startled when Yugi suddenly appeared right beside him and spoke out: "What happened Yami? Why did Seto carry Jou away like that?"

Turning his head to look at the shorter boy Yami was struck with a sudden memory. Now Yami remembered clearly how Yugi had questioned him about Jou's magic elements and then seemed bothered about something afterwards. He also remembered the wary manner that Yugi would meet the blond's gaze and how Yugi did not want to be alone with Jou for a long time.

"He exhausted himself", Yami replied to Yugi's queries. "He might need medical attention so Seto is making sure he gets some. That's why we practise using magic, it can be dangerous to do so without any experience." Yami met Yugi's gaze and spoke, quietly now: "Why are you suspicious of Jou? What are you hiding from me?"

Yugi looked embarrassed about having been caught. He looked at Yami with a troubled look on his face when he started to speak: "Jou called me 'kitten' the other day." The small boy shook his head slightly before continuing: "I know it's not much to go by. That's why I asked you what kind of magic he used. And just now that spell…" Yugi trailed off and turned his eyes to the door. That was when Yami knew that Yugi was suspecting the same thing as he was.

"The only way to know for sure would probably be to ask him about it", Yami concluded finally. "I mean, even if he was following Mai's orders they should not matter anymore now that you have your voice back."

"I don't know", Yugi said weakly, shaking his head again. "I'm not really comfortable with interrogating friends."

"Well, you aren't exactly comfortable around Jou now either, are you?" Yami pointed out, hoping that the comment would make Yugi feel less disturbed by this. "Unless we confront him now that we have a chance, you might never be able to trust him." Yami placed a finger below Yugi's chin and directed the amethyst gaze back to his own face. "What if Jou is innocent? Do you really want to continue being unable to trust him?"

"But what if he really was that other hooded person?" Yugi insisted, worry edging his tone. "I wouldn't know what to do."

The words also had Yami's stomach twisting into a knot. He also did not know what he would, or even could, do if Jou was revealed to be one of Mai's errand boys. Above all the revelation would hurt Seto, because even though the brunet denied it, it was clear that he was in love with the blond. On the positive side, it seemed that Jou loved Seto back. Even though this might be a very small comfort if Jou had some kind of a contract with Mai, giving the blond a very short leash, if what he had understood about Marik's situation was correct.

"We should only worry about this moment and not the future", Yami said in a manner that he hoped sounded encouraging. "What matters now is making sure that Mai won't come after you again. If Jou is revealed to be working under her then it's good. He can tells us if Mai is still after you or not."

"No!" Yugi snapped, actually raising his voice and gaining a few looks from the people around them, especially Anzu. Before the shorter boy could continue Yami seized him by the arm and dragged him to the side a bit, so that no one who had grown curious would hear them. Clearly catching on to what Yami was trying to do Yugi lowered his voice as he continued speaking: "If Jou really is at Mai's mercy like that then it really is a bad thing."

"I guess, yeah", Yami concluded with a nod. Now that he thought about it, it probably was no picnic to serve under an evil witch.

"And we're going to help Marik as well", Yugi spoke out, apparently also having been thinking about the missing member of his group of friends. "I won't leave him to Mai after everything he has done to help me."

"I'll help you any way I can", Yami promised instantly, meaning every word. He would travel to the ends of the world to help or even simply be with Yugi. That meant that if Yugi wanted to save a friend of his then Yami was going to assist in every possible way.

"Thank you, Yami", Yugi said softly while a pink dust ghosted over his cheeks, clearly visible because of his pale skin. "I feel really selfish but I want to accept your offer." Yugi smiled widely at Yami. "Being with you makes me ten times stronger."

"Jeez, all this lovey-dovey stuff is making me sick to the stomach", a voice snarled fom very close by. Yami instantly whirled around to meet Bakura's scowling face. As usual, the devious teen was accompanied by his pacifying counterpart. At the moment the counterpart in question reached up to tug slightly on Bakura's long hair and spoke out sternly: "You're just like that too sometimes."

Yami flashed a smug grin in Bakura's direction but the taller of the two albinos simply smirked before speaking in a self-satisfied manner: "But I'm smart about it." Bakura wiggled his eyebrows at Yami slightly. "I always make sure there is no possibility of my mushy lines being overheard by anyone."

"Oh, yes, you're a regular Einstein", Yami grunted out, allowing thick sarcasm to color his tone. Bakura merely smirked wider and Yami had a sudden desire to see what a charge of energy could do to a mane of hair as large as Bakura's.

"What happened to Jou?" Ryou questioned suddenly, clearly catching on to the thick feeling of hostility going on between Yami and Bakura. Yami ignored the taller albino in favour of turning his attention to Ryou, who continued to speak: "We came to talk to you because we were worried but Bakura is too chicken to admit it."

"Damn it, Ryou, you're going to ruin my reputation completely", Bakura growled at the shorter boy standing next to him. Ryou seemed unaffected, however, and smiled sweetly at Bakura before he shot back: "And to make matters worse I'm also the only one who you will allow to get away with it, right?" The bright grin Ryou shot Bakura was so innocent that had Yami not just heard the comments from the boy from a moment ago he would have thought the other boy completely unable to do evil. Also, Bakura was not making any attempt at denying Ryou's words, a fact that brought a wide grin on Yami's face as well.

"Have you ever heard of the term 'whipped' before, Bakura?" Yami drawled smugly and felt great satisfaction when Bakura's cheeks gained a tint of red to them as the other teen growled: "Shut up…"

"Are you using some strange human terminology again?" Yugi piped in suddenly and Yami realized with great guilt that he had completely forgotten about his little sweetheart. He turned to Yugi as the shortest member of their group specified his question: "A few days ago Bakura asked from Jou if Bakura was a good 'smoocher', whatever that means, and just now you said Bakura is whipped even though he does not seem to be in any pain at all."

The determined way Yugi was staring at Yami made the teen feel slightly uncomfortable. He had no idea how he was supposed to answer Yugi's questions but was fortunately spared from the embarrassment by Ryou, who stepped to Yugi before he started to speak: "'Smooching' is another word for kissing, even though it does not really belong into any real vocabulary. Bakura is crude so he prefers to use that word." At this point there was a yelp of outrage from Bakura but Ryou paid it no mind as he continued: "And as for 'whipped', that is also a word that is mainly used by people closer to our age group. It refers to being in a relationship where you do pretty much everything your partner says."

"Does that mean that Yami is whipped too, since he's always saying that he will do everything in his power to make my wishes come true?" Yugi asked innocently. There was a smirk on Bakura's face once more and, much to his horror, Ryou's face had gained one as well. Yami came to the conclusion that Bakura was completely contaminating Ryou's mind when the shorter albino said in a falsely sweet tone: "Yes, Yugi, I think it means exactly that."

"Then Yami should not be making fun of Bakura", Yugi said sternly with a nod. "It won't do for him to laugh at Bakura when he himself is in the same situation."

"Definitely, Yugi", Ryou agreed and nodded his head a couple of times for emphasis. With dawning terror Yami was struck with sudden paranoia, believing that everyone was out to turn his Yugi against him.

"How about I just go see Seto and ask how Jou's doing?" Yami suggested, deciding that if he was not present he could not do anything that the two albinos could use against him. "I'm sure the nurse has had enough time to do a diagnosis." Yami pushed Yugi gently closer to Ryou and Bakura before speaking in a threatening tone of voice: "Look after Yugi for me but don't do anything to his innocent mind." He shot a glare at Bakura. "If you do to Yugi what you did to Ryou then I'm going to get very unpleasant with you." With that Yami turned around and started to make his way out of the room, only barely hearing the retort Bakura shot at his back: "The only unpleasant thing from you that could frighten me is one of those justice speeches of yours. You're even worse than that Mazaki in that."

Resisting the urge to turn around and return back to beat Bakura into a pulp for comparing him to Anzu Yami went out through the door and immediately started to head towards the nurse's office with long strides. Well, whether they were long or not was a matter or perspective. If you compared the steps to those that Yami usually took, then yes they were long. But if you think about how Seto, Jou, or even Bakura walks then the steps Yami was taking were actually rather short. But because Yami has a sensitive ego that bruises easily, we are going to say that he was hurrying on with long strides that were precise and confident.

Not at all too soon in Yami's opinion the star-haired youth could see the door of the nurse's office in front of him. He pushed the door open without pausing in his steps or even slowing down the slightest as he strolled into the waiting room. He knew better than to think his cousin would ever sit in one of the low chairs that seemed to make you slouch like you were in a deep pit of despair so Yami's eyes instantly scanned the walls where there were no chairs. He immediately found Seto leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and with a completely indifferent look on his face. But Yami knew the brunet was worried, it was clear from the way Seto was squeezing the fabric of his sleeves in his fists. Seeing that made Yami rethink his earlier assumptions. If Seto was worried then there was a very high chance that the nurse had yet to give any word about Jou's well being. Yami approached his cousin with slight caution, knowing very well that the brunet was less than pleasant when experiencing an emotional crisis such as this.

"Seto", Yami spoke out when he was standing a couple of feet away from his cousin. Seto's piercing blue gaze locked with Yami's own red one and seemed to pin the shorter teen like a set of needles would do to a collected butterfly. Yami was used to these looks, however, and merely continued, even if carefully: "How is he?"

"He hasn't woken up yet", Seto replied in a quiet tone that was wiped clean of any emotion. "He isn't in any danger at the moment, however."

Yami released a relieved sigh as he spoke out: "That's good to hear…" He hesitated then, instantly gaining Seto's full attention, before he started again: "Seto, that last attack-"

Before Yami even had a chance to finish, there was shift in Seto's crossed arms, a sign that the brunet was turning defensive. So, it seemed that Seto had also recognized the spell he was going to talk about. Seto knew exactly what Yami was thinking and the same thought had crossed the brunet's mind. But it seemed that, unlike Yami, Seto was going to deny the facts and cling to an illusion he had created in his mind. It was not surprising to Yami at all, the star-haired boy should have remembered how easily Seto could ignore everything that was in front of his face simply because he wanted to believe in something else. Even though Yami had known that Seto had a trait like that, he still grew angry, extremely so, at how easily Seto took Jou's side, listening to only his own opinion in such a serious matter.

Feeling anger swell inside him he let it all come out in a heated claim: "I recognized that attack Jou used in the end and I know you did too!" He pointed an accusing finger at Seto, forgetting all about how he had told Yugi so insistently that they should not judge Jou without asking the blond himself for the truth. "He's the other one of those who came to challenge us in disguise. Anyone could see that if he had not been so exhausted that spell could have seriously hurt me." Yami was beyond himself with anger at that moment. Normally he would have seen that he was seriously out of line with his accusations but now he simply did not care.

Now Seto finally showed an emotion clearly. His face twisted into an angered snarl. The brunet actually raised his voice against Yami as he snapped: "You're wrong!" There was suddenly an odd look in Seto's eyes and when he continued to speak his tone was astonished, like he was only now realizing what he was saying himself: "Jou wasn't trying to kill you. He was trying to win. He wanted win for me."

"What?" Yami snapped in disbelief. "What are you saying?"

"Jou thinks that if he loses once I will trade him for a stronger partner", Seto explained while he ran a hand through his hair, looking somewhere to the right from Yami. The brunet was not usually so careless with his carefully groomed hair but Yami guessed that Seto was too busy with his own thoughts right now to care. The brunet would never sound weak but his tone was slightly faint when he finished: "He fights because it's his way of being close to me."

Suddenly Seto's eyes turned to look at Yami again. There was a familiar glimmer in Seto's eyes at the moment, a look of realization. The brunet's tone sounded like it was between fearful and joyous, perhaps even them both at the same time, as he breathed out: "He thinks I will abandon him if he loses…" Seto ran his hand through his hair again before groaning: "Damn, I really should talk to him, shouldn't I?"

"Definitely", Yami concluded while his anger seemed to have been zapped out of him. Jou loved Seto. Yami decided that it did not matter whose side Jou was in the end, as long as he could be with Seto. If there was an obstacle, Yami would destroy it if Seto did not get to it before him. If Jou really loved Seto enough to risk his life to please him, then there was no way the blond would betray them to Mai, even if he did work for her.

Perhaps it would all work out in the end.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: I just realized that this is one of the rare occasions that I have managed to write a whole chapter without any scene breaks. Yay, go me! Well, it was all written at once, so no wonder there…

Last time I asked if people would like an OtogixHiroto pairing. I still haven't gotten any resposes on that matter, so I would really appreciate comments.


	19. Mai's Threat

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 19**

**Mai's Threat**

When Yugi finally saw Yami again it was in the school's gardens, where Bakura and Ryou had taken him after the lesson. The taller star-haired youth had come strolling calmly towards them and after seeing that Yugi felt relieved. If there had been something seriously wrong then Yami would have been running as quickly as he could.

As soon as Yami was close enough to hear Yugi questioned worriedly: "How is Jou feeling?"

"He's still unconscious but his life isn't in danger", Yami replied and Yugi sighed in relief, the sound accompanied by an identical one from Ryou. Yugi smiled at Yami softly before asking: "What about Seto?"

"He's worried sick", Yami replied in an exasperated manner. The reason for the tone became clear when he continued: "And he is in denial about what happened. He simply refuses to believe that there might be any possible connection between Jou and one of those attackers."

"I sure hope you did not give Seto a hard time about it", Yugi commented, able to understand the brunet's feelings on the matter perfectly. He did not know what he would do if someone claimed Yami was evil. That thought in mind Yugi continued: "If you went and got angry at him then it will be even harder for him to accept."

There was a small, embarrassed blush on Yami's cheeks and Yugi instantly knew that the other teen had done the exact opposite of what he had hoped. Releasing a soft sigh Yugi attempted to give Yami a scolding glare, which probably ended up looking more like a pout but Yugi did not really care, as long as he could make Yami feel guilty.

"Come on, Yugi", Yami started to whine. "I'll make up for it later. Besides, I know for sure that Jou won't betray us." A wide grin spread on his lips, showing his perfect teeth in a charming manner. "He's far too deeply in love with Seto to ever harm us."

"I sure hope so…" Ryou mumbled softly from the side and Yugi realized with some guilt that he had completely forgotten about the other two people accompanying him and Yami. The dark-skinned boy was simply too distracting.

"Look, Jou isn't a bad person", came from Bakura suddenly. The words were unexpected, especially since Bakura rarely spoke positively about anyone other than Ryou. But still, the taller albino had a stern look on his face as he continued: "I, for one, don't believe for one second that Jou would ever work for Mai out of his own free will. He isn't like that. I should know; I've known him for a while already."

If Yugi ever heard Yami talk that way about someone he would surely get jealous. Because of this he expected some kind of a reaction from Ryou. The shorter albino did react, but not negatively. No, instead of shooting Bakura a dirty glare the kind-faced human wrapped his arms around one of Bakura's own and spoke gently: "I love it when you get all mushy like that."

A rosy blush spread on Bakura's cheeks and Yugi was certain that if it had been anyone other than Ryou speaking those words they would have been beaten to the ground. But, simply because Ryou was Ryou, Bakura merely glared at empty air in distaste at being embarrassed like this.

"I want to go see Malik and Hiroto", Yugi spoke out then, certain that the discussion was now over. He really wanted to make up for not going to see his friends for a few days. "I want to check if Marik is back yet. He might be able to give us valuable information about Mai's plans. Then we can finally know for sure if she is done with trying to make me her puppet."

"Sounds like a plan", Yami commented with agreements from both Bakura and Ryou. The foursome then made their way through the gardens and into the forest, where it was perfectly silent, like there was absolutely no one present. But Yugi knew better, as had Ryou and Bakura also learned to know. Yami was still fairly new to sprite abilities and because of that, he attempted to look around for any sign of the forest dwellers.

To be completely honest, there was no chance for Yami to see a sprite unless they wanted to be seen. Sprites could be heard by humans but hearing and seeing were two different things entirely. There was an ancient magic that sprites possessed that could hide them effectively as long as they were in the safety of a forest. Yugi had never learned how that magic exactly worked but he supposed he could ask Hiroto about that. The brunet was more likely to know the answer than Malik, at any matter.

"Hey, guys, it's me", Yugi called, knowing that he would not have to raise his voice in order to be heard. There was always someone keeping watch in case Yugi had something urgent to discuss with them.

"Yugi!" Malik's familiar voice exclaimed and instantly the sprite in question appeared from his hiding place among the tree branches and captured Yugi into a bone-crushing hug. "I missed you so much!"

"We saw each other yesterday", Yugi pointed out but hugged Malik back nonetheless. Hiroto had also lowered himself closer to ground level and was looking at Yugi and Malik with a genuinely happy smile on his face. Marik was also back, levitating behind Hiroto. The wolf sprite had an easily recognizable jealous look on his face and Yugi was suddenly in a hurry to detangle himself from Malik's arms.

"I'm happy to see you too, but I need to breathe", Yugi spoke with a slight whine to his tone. Malik moved away from him rather reluctantly, Malik had always been a physical person, but still smiled widely at Yugi as he questioned: "What's up, Yugi? Has something new come up?"

"Maybe", Yugi commented briefly. "There is even more proof now that Jou might be working under Mai but we haven't been able to confirm it."

"Well, Marik was back at Mai's lair until a couple of hours ago", Hiroto pointed out in a thoughtful manner. "Maybe he heard something-"

"I don't know who Mai sent to attack Yugi", Marik cut in instantly, interrupting Hiroto rather rudely. "I only know that one of them was my sister but I don't know who went with her." A deep scowl appeared on Marik's face as the tall sprite crossed his arms over his chest. "But I do know that Mai doesn't have anyone by the name 'Jou' under contract, at least according to my information." The wolf looked rather triumphant as he finished: "In addition to that I don't think Mai will be causing any more trouble for you guys, since she seems to have lost her interest in Yugi completely."

"What?" Yami questioned then, finally participating in the conversation. "But she was so insistent on attacking Yugi earlier."

"Mai lost", Marik pointed out with a nonchalant shrug. "She hates losing above everything else so it might be that she is trying to forget all about it in order to avoid losing face." Marik smirked then. "Mai may be prideful but she is also extremely childish when it comes to her games."

"So then, Yugi will be safe from Mai?" Ryou questioned carefully, his soft tone indicating that he was feeling a bit wary of the wolf sprite. Yugi did not blame him. He was pretty sure that Marik was on his side, but he was still afraid to turn his back to Marik. There was something very intimidating about the predatory eyes the older sprite possessed.

"Seems rather unlikely", Bakura, the always pessimistic one, snapped suddenly. "From what I gathered about this Mai-witch's character, she is devious and doesn't know where to draw the line. I find it hard to believe that she has simply given up."

"That's true", Marik conceded with a nod of his head. "I thought that too, but then I found out that she already has her eyes set on another conquest." The wolf sprite paused, like he was wanting to create tension, before speaking in a low voice: "She is planning on attacking Kirusae."

"What?" exclaimed Hiroto, Malik and Yugi all at once. Yugi felt a freezing fear rise from the pit of his stomach. If Mai attacked Kirusae…

"Excuse me", came Bakura's impatient query suddenly. "But what exactly is this 'Kirusae'?"

"That…" Yugi started softly, only to be interrupted by Malik, who spoke in a voice that was full of despair but was still stronger than Yugi's had been: "Kirusae is our home village."

Marik was nodding his head in agreement before adding, completely inconsiderately: "And she is planning on deploying all of her resources. Mai has many people under her, people with strong magical powers."

Yugi bit his lip in terror, and not even Yami's warm hand landing on his shoulder did anything to calm him down.

&&&&&&&

Seto had no idea what he was doing here. Well, he did actually know that he was waiting for any news on Jou's condition that only the nurse could provide him with. This was the reason he was standing in the waiting area of the nurse's office. The brunet was also very aware of his own motivations, the reasons he was so worried about Jou's well being. There was only one reason, but it was a very good one.

Even though Seto knew exactly why he was doing what he was, inside his own mind, he did not know why he was here on the outside. There was a certain impression that Seto was used to giving to people and his current actions were not easily explained in a manner that suited that impression. The brunet would have to shake off any possible queries with an angry glare, even if it would not stop any rumours from taking shape. But then again, Seto had decided not that care about that when he had scooped Jou up into his arms in the classroom.

There was a silent clack and Seto's head immediately whipped around to look at the nurse, a short, kind-faced woman. The woman looked at Seto and smiled softly before questioning: "You are Jounouchi-kun's friend, right?" Seto merely nodded his head once and the woman smiled slightly wider. "Then you will be happy to hear that he has woken up." Seto's posture instantly went rigid with expectation. The nurse seemed to notice as she opened the door some more before finishing: "You can go see him, if you'd like."

Some things were so clear that they did not have to be repeated. That permission that Seto had just received was one of those things. Seto made his way into the room as quickly as he could without being rude towards the nurse. She had, after all, taken good care of his precious puppy.

Many of the beds in the infirmary were unoccupied so Seto easily found the one Jou was on. The blond boy was rather pale but was still sitting up on the bed, even if it was a tad shakily. When Jou caught sight of Seto he offered the brunet a wide smile, the gesture clearly meant to put a rest to any possible worries the taller teen might have had.

Still, even with Jou managing to look a lot like himself, Seto was still worried about the almost ghastly white skin the blond had at the moment. Seto walked next to Jou's bed and reached out a hand to touch one of the pale cheeks. It was not cold, as he had expected, only slightly cool and it grew warmer under Seto's touch as Jou blushed softly as he looked at Seto's curiously.

"What is it?" Jou asked, his first words since he had fainted, and Seto was glad to hear that the blond's voice at least was perfectly normal. Seto shook his head and pulled his hand back before replying: "You looked cold."

"Ah", Jou uttered as he smiled ever so sweetly at Seto. "I'm fine. No need to worry."

"I would hope so", Seto agreed sternly. "You should still take it easy for a while, just in case."

"Oh, I know that", Jou said with a laugh. "Suwaru-san has been telling me that ever since I woke up. I know full well what would be smart to do now."

"I hardly think a single nurse will be able to get through your thick scull", Seto commented with a teasing smirk. Then he glanced around slightly, checking where the nurse in question was. The woman was gone from the room, having possibly gone to her office. Steeling his nerve Seto decided that this was his chance. This time he would be able to carry it through.

"Jou", Seto spoke out, getting the blond's attention directed fully at himself again. He reached out and took Jou's face between his hands, leaning in with the full intention of finally kissing the other teen's lips.

"I have concluded that Jounouchi-kun is free to leave if he so wishes", Nurse Suwaru's voice came suddenly, causing Seto to freeze in place as he grit his teeth together in aggravation. Jou blinked in a confused manner before Seto turned his head around to look at the short woman. The brunet forced himself to smile at the nurse as he spoke: "Great. I guess we can both take off right now." The brunet needed to get Jou somewhere private before he lost his mind with these constant setbacks.

"Seto?" Jou questioned suddenly and Seto immediately turned his face back to the blond. He noticed that his hands were still in contact with the soft skin of the blond's cheeks. He removed his hands slowly, trying not to rouse suspicion in the shorter teen.

"Yeah, Jou? What is it?" Seto asked. Jou's cheeks were back to a more natural color, which might have been caused by the blond blushing, but Seto could not know for sure because of the blond's paler than usual skin.

"Why were you trying that just now?" Jou questioned and Seto flinched slightly because of the one question he did not want to answer.

"I…" Seto started and cursed himself for hesitating. The brunet recovered soon enough, however, and was able to sound very convincing in his own opinion when he replied: "I was trying to see if you were telling the truth about being alright or not."

"So, what's your deduction then?" Jou asked with a wide grin, clearly buying the excuse. Seto shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner before uttering: "I suppose you are telling the truth. Or, you're telling me what you think is the truth."

An annoyed sigh came from Jou before the blond grumbled a disappointed: "Right", and got off of the bed. "Come on. I want to get out of here", Jou continued in a lot happier manner as he grabbed Seto's arms and started dragging the brunet out of the infirmary. Seto saw no reason to argue or resist so he simply went along with it as Jou gave a quick thank you to the nurse before pulling Seto out through the door.

When the two were walking down the school corridors, Seto decided that he should probably do some questioning to affirm if Jou had a connection with Mai or not. But Seto did not want to make the blond think that he suspected him of anything so he would have to keep his questions subtle and seemingly without any apparent purpose behind them.

"Jou…" Seto spoke out and decided to be blunt anyway. "Have you met any person by the name Mai?"

Jou glanced at Seto briefly, blinking shortly, before frowning thoughtfully as he replied: "No. I don't think I've met any Mais." He turned to look at Seto again. "Why do you ask? Is there a student here named Mai?"

"It's nothing", Seto assured the blond as he shook his head. Jou seemed sincere, but the blond could have been waiting for a question like that if he really was one of Mai's henchmen. Seto ignored the rest of his thoughts that went along those lines as he was suddenly struck with the sudden desire to slam Jou against a nearby wall and have his way with him. Seto decided to leave that for another time, however, and go look for Yami instead. He did not want to have his cousin suspecting Jou anymore without any convincing proof.

&&&&&&&

"I don't know what I should do", Yugi uttered weakly as he squeezed his hands into fists. Yami observed the smaller boy worriedly before wrapping an arm around his shoulders. The two of them were currently in the room Yami shared with Seto, sitting on Yami's bed. Yugi had been very distraught ever since he had found out about Mai's new plot and Yami had taken the boy into his room to offer him some consolation.

"Don't worry, Yugi", Yami said softly as he pulled the small ex-sprite against him. "If you want to go make sure your friends and family are safe then I will, of course, be accompanying you."

Yugi looked up at Yami with his eyes brimming with tears. Yami resisted the urge to ravish the sweet creature in his arms as Yugi questioned quietly: "You really would do that for me? Go somewhere completely unknown and face an evil witch?"

"Yugi, don't be silly!" Yami laughed brightly as he caressed the side of Yugi's face with his free hand that was not embracing the boy. "I love you. I would do absolutely anything for you."

The effect of Yami's words was instant. Yugi's arms captured Yami into a fierce hold from behind his neck and then proceeded to pull the crimson-eyed youth into a passionate kiss. Yugi's lips pressed against Yami's own and caressed them with force that Yami had not thought characteristic of the gentle boy.

When Yugi's lips parted and the boy pulled away while panting heavily Yami was still staring at his beloved with wide eyes. Yugi smiled shyly at the taller teen and spoke out breathlessly: "I love you so much, Yami. You have no idea…"

Finally snapping out of his daze Yami grinned at Yugi before planting a small kiss on the boy's lips and muttering: "I think I might have a small idea…" Then he in turn captured Yugi's lips. He instantly plunged his tongue into Yugi's still-open mouth and was rewarded with a small mewl from Yugi. Yami smiled in his mind, amused with the cat-like trait that Yugi had been able to keep after his transformation.

Yami mapped out the crevices of Yugi's mouth carefully and slowly, deciding that neither of them was in a hurry to go anywhere. He marvelled at how well the small boy fit within his arms and how willing the other was to submit himself to Yami's ministrations. Breaking off the kiss Yami allowed his weight to push Yugi into the mattress and then proceeded to plant small kisses on the thin neck on his disposal. Just as Yami was about to find out how Yugi reacted to biting, a loud and clearly angry voice bellowed in the room: "Dear Lords, have you two no shame?"

Blinking once, and then twice, Yami slowly turned his head around to see no other than Seto standing in the middle of the room, glowering at the two teens on the bed. Yami did not understand what his cousin had to be angry about since he was not the one who was constantly interrupted in the middle of making out with his boyfriend. Heck, the brunet did not even have a real boyfriend yet. Maybe that was the root of the problem.

"Well", Yami started slowly as he sat up along with a deeply blushing Yugi. "We were alone here before you barged in without knocking." The star-haired teen smirked at his taller cousin. "And what's with that foul face? Are you still not getting anywhere with Jou?"

It had been a low blow. Yami knew this even before Seto's face reddened in barely concealed anger. Then the brunet smoothened out his facial expressions and spoke out in a seemingly nonchalant manner: "I see that you aren't really interested in what I was able to uncover with my discussion with Jou…"

"Please tell us!" Yugi exclaimed instantly and the pleading, wide-eyed look seemed to be the one thing that could break through even to Seto. Or that was what Yami concluded when Seto released a slightly defeated sigh before replying: "I asked Jou if he knew anyone by the name Mai. He seemed genuinely confused, but he might have decided on that response beforehand as well."

Not very pleased with results Yami clicked his tongue before drawling out in a sarcastic tone of voice: "Which means you have uncovered nothing. Marvellous…"

"Well, I'd like to see you do better!" Seto snapped at the star-haired youth, causing Yami's face to redden in embarrassment when he remembered his screamed accusations from before. Releasing a sigh Yami decided that maybe it was better if he let Seto handle Jou after all.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: This chapter was slightly longer than the norm so I hope you liked it. I seem to have a thing for tormenting Seto, can you notice? And there was also some more YamixYugi kissing, since there was a request for it. If there is anything else, be sure to keep on requesting. As you can see from this chapter, it never hurts to ask.


	20. Leaked Plans

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 20**

**Leaked Plans**

The following morning Ryou, Bakura, Yami, Yugi and Seto met up in the school library to discuss the current situation with Mai. Seto had been reluctant to join the group, even after Yami had given him a detailed explanation of everything that had been happening. Yami knew better than well that Seto would have probably have preferred to spend his free time with Jou. Apparently the brunet still had not gotten around finally admitting his feelings to the blond.

"So, what are we going to do about Mai?" Ryou questioned in an effort to open up a conversation. So far all that had been going around the table they were sitting around of was that Seto and Bakura had been glaring at each other like there was nothing that aggravated them more than the other's presence.

"Well, we haven't really been taught anything about sprites, since they aren't even considered to exist", Seto commented as he leaned away from his glaring contest with Bakura. "Because of that we don't have much information to go by, unless Yugi knows more about the witch." The brunet crossed his arms over his chest before finishing: "Which I seriously doubt, since he agreed to a deal with her in the first place."

Even though Yami did not agree with the way Seto spoke of Yugi, he knew that the brunet had a point. They would need to know more and Yugi was not very likely to provide them with the valuable information.

"I'm sorry", Yugi muttered weakly and Yami instantly threw an arm around the boy's shoulders and hurried to assure the shorter boy: "You have nothing to be sorry about, Yugi. That is simply how things are." The crimson-eyed teen waited until the former sprite's eyes were raised to meet his own before continuing: "Do you think your friends might know more Yugi? Should we go have a talk with them?"

A thoughtful frown crossed Yugi's face as the youth thought about the question hard. Finally the boy nodded his head and spoke in a certain tone of voice: "I think they might. Hiroto especially could know something. He knows many things. And Marik is also bound by a contract so there is a very high possibility that he is able to tell us about Mai's strengths and weaknesses."

"Then we should get going right away", Bakura agreed and stood up from the table. The white-haired teen was clearly feeling as impatient as ever.

"Cool, can I come too?" a completely new voice commented suddenly, bringing everyone's heads turning to the teenager that was leaning against a book case. Yami quickly recognized the familiar raven-black hair of the teen that sat in the same table as him in the cafeteria.

"Otogi", Seto growled in his typical hostile manner. "How long have you been standing there exactly?"

"Long enough to know that you will be hunting down some evil sprite witch", Otogi replied with an all too wide grin. "I figured that going on such an adventure would be a lot more exciting than attending classes."

"No way", Yami argued instantly, not about to let the impulsive teen join them. "This has absolutely nothing to do with you." Honestly, they had enough to worry about when they had to keep an eye on Bakura without Otogi adding to their problems.

"We don't need your help, pretty boy", Bakura added right after Yami and instantly the star-haired teen doubted his decision. When Bakura agreed with him there had to be something wrong. But Yami's fears were elevated when Bakura concluded: "Your sissy ass would just get in the way."

"I don't think you fully understand", Otogi spoke in an extremely smug manner. "Either you will tolerate me or you will have to put up with Anzu's pestering."

Yami grit his teeth in aggravation. That preening idiot actually dared to attempt to blackmail them. The crimson-eyed teen was just about to snap something threatening to put the other teen to his place, but was cut off by Bakura speaking in an impressed tone of voice: "Blackmail, is it?" The albino grinned in a manner that showed his sharp teeth. "I like a guy who has guts. I may have underestimated you 'Togi."

There was instantly a yelp from Bakura when Ryou elbowed him in the side and hissed: "Don't encourage him!"

"This is going to be dangerous, Otogi", Yugi spoke out timidly, followed by Seto speaking out, his tone of voice having a worn undertone instead of the angry one Yami had been expecting. "I don't think you fully comprehend what you're going to get yourself mixed to."

"Of course I do", Otogi argued and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not stupid." The arms uncrossed and moved to the teen's hips. "We're going to be risking out lives in a battle that will entail mystical creatures and the ultimate test of our magical abilities."

"Yes, pretty much", Bakura agreed with a nod of his head. "The only difference is that you made it sound really cool."

"What do you guys say?" Otogi asked as he looked at the group expectantly. "Can I tag along?"

"I don't think we really have a choice in the matter", Seto said with a small sigh before Yami could make any statement. "You're simply going to keep pestering us until we agree."

"So then it's settled!" Otogi cheered with his wide grin back on his face. "I will be joining you on your epic journey."

"I wouldn't really call it epic…" Yami muttered in a weak attempt to get a word in. To the star-haired teen's further aggravation his words were completely ignored.

&&&&&&&

When the group left the library it was with Otogi trailing behind them. As annoying as the raven-haired teen was, he was nowhere as bad as Anzu. It had all been about choosing the smaller one of two evils and Otogi might prove himself useful later on.

Personally Seto had also had something to gain for himself from allowing Otogi to join them. This way he would be spared severe mental strain, which he would have been forced to endure if Otogi had been denied his wish to be let in on their plans. Long story short, Seto would be the one Otogi would most likely try to annoy into submission.

Of course Seto had known that there would be consequences when he made a decision on the behalf of the entire group; Yami had not stopped moping since. It was rather pathetic of the shorter teen to act like a child when someone dared to overstep their boundaries. Yami had clearly thought of himself as the group's self-proclaimed leader. Well, the star-haired teen could stroke his ego later, for now he would have to settle to silently mend the minor bruises it had received from having been ignored for as long as three minutes.

There were no vocal complaints from Yami, which might have been because the teen was actually starting to calm down with Yugi pressed against his side. Once again Seto's fingers itched to run through blond hair but the brunet gave no outward sign of such thoughts. He merely shot a murderous glare at the two lovebirds' backs.

The group finally made it to the outside air and started to walk around the school building into the direction Yugi lead them to. Seto thought with distaste that they were not being very subtle and that a group as large as theirs would be likely to draw attention to itself. But Yami seemed too occupied with Yugi to care so Seto wondered why he should care either. It was not like this was **his** plan or anything.

"Oh, lookie", Otogi commented when they turned around a yet another corner. "Look who's there." The raven-haired teen pointed to a direction and before anyone even had a chance at glancing at what the boy was pointing at Otogi had lifted his arm and started to wave frantically as he cheered: "Hi Jou!"

A blond head snapped up and it was really Jou who looked at them with a clearly dumbfounded expression before he jumped down from the windowsill he had been sitting on. The group had just been about to walk past the room Bakura and Jou shared. Seto was almost ready to groan at all the things that were going wrong at the moment.

"Hello", Jou greeted them all as he looked around the group. "What are you all doing out here?" The blond's drifted to Bakura. "I didn't know you had become friends with Yami and Seto, Bakura."

"That's because I haven't", Bakura replied easily as he grabbed Ryou's arm and yanked the shorter boy beside himself. "I'm only here for Ryou."

"Oh. What are you all doing then?" Jou continued to pry. Seto wondered what he would see if he glanced over at Yami's face to see what his cousin was thinking. The star-haired boy was probably ready to explode.

Just when Seto was about to come up with something plausible to explain the current situation to Jou, Otogi spoke out in that all too cheery manner of his: "We're going to go see the sprites."

"Sprites?" Jou questioned, his eyes widening considerably. Then the blond's expression twisted into a disturbed one as he offered: "Sprites don't exist."

"No worries Jou", Otogi said as he slapped Jou on the shoulder. Seto was about to rip the raven-haired boy's head off, and that was only for touching his Jou. The brunet's murderous intent grew even more when Otogi, the oblivious idiot, continued on: "I've already been let in on the secret. You don't have to act for me."

"Otogi, you dumbass!" Bakura snapped, completely immune to the calming noises Ryou was making to him. "Jou wasn't supposed to know!"

"Huh?" Otogi uttered as he whirled around to blink at the group. "Why not?"

"Because too many people know already!" Yami snapped, finally letting his frustration out. He pointed an accusing finger at Otogi as he continued: "You weren't supposed to know and Jou wasn't supposed to know but now everything is ruined!" The star-haired teen threw his arms up in exasperation. "But why would that matter? Why shouldn't everyone we run across know? Let's drag half of the school in on this while we're at it! We could tell the teachers too!"

By the time Yami was finished, his face was flushed and he was panting heavily. Bakura and Otogi were staring at him with their mouths hanging open but Seto merely clicked his tongue before commenting: "Over the top, Yami."

"Shut up", Yami snarled. Seto decided to ignore the pissy teen and turned to Jou, who was suddenly looking at the group in comprehension.

"That's the reason you were asking me about someone named Mai", Jou spoke out, directing his gaze at Seto. "This Mai person is a sprite…" The blond frowned and then glared at the brunet. "Why would you think that I knew a sprite?"

"That's irrelevant", Seto spoke out hastily and Jou's glare deepened. Seto cursed Otogi in his mind and attempted to explain: "Well, there was a slight possibility… There are sprites in the forest. We were simply wondering."

"Fine", Jou muttered as he glanced to the said forest. He then turned slowly to look at Seto again and the brunet did not miss the hopeful look on the blond's face as he questioned: "So, there are really sprites there?"

"So I've heard", Seto commented neutrally before pointing a thumb at Yami and Yugi's direction. "They have seen them."

"Wow", Jou breathed out softly. The blond blushed softly as he lowered his voice to ask from Seto: "You don't suppose I could…"

"Damn it", Yami growled in a hostile manner. "Just let him tag along. We allowed Otogi to join us, didn't we? And personally I think Jou would be a much better option."

Seto agreed entirely with Yami's statement but did not get a chance to say so when Jou cheered: "Alright!"

Turning his head back to Jou Seto could do nothing but stare at the deliriously happy expression on the blond's face. It was with some jealousy that Seto hoped that he had been the one to give the boy permission to join them. It was also with a lot of jealousy that Seto wished that the thought of him could bring that expression on the blond's face.

&&&&&&&

"Why are we taking this course of action?" Valon questioned as he watched Mai from across the room. There were simply too many things going on for him to keep track of, and Mai was not helping him at all. The woman had not told him anything about her plans ever since she had said that she was no giving up on Yugi.

If Mai was not planning on leaving Yugi alone, why was she giving out orders of attack? It would have been understandable if the attack would have been directed at the bothersome boy but that was not the case. Mai was ordering an attack on Kirusae. What good would attacking a village full of sprites do them? There were not enough of them to overrun such a large, magically gifted group of opponent.

"It is all part of my plan to get little Yugi", Mai replied sweetly and sent Valon a sultry smile. The brunet only huffed as he snapped: "That doesn't tell me anything, Mai. What purpose does attacking Kirusae serve?"

"I'm not sure it is safe to speak of it", Mai commented as she turned around to finally face Valon completely. The male sprite glared at the woman, the look having absolutely no effect whatsoever, before he sighed and walked across the room to speak quietly to the witch: "Do you suspect foul play, precious?"

"More than simply suspect", Mai commented as she ran a hand through her hair. "There is at least one spy in our midst. Someone has been leaking information." The blonde grit her teeth in aggravation. "I'm not taking any risks before I am absolutely certain of the amount of spies. I won't utter a word about my plans in unsafe surroundings until I have the scum who would betray me in my grasp. I'm going to rip their faces beyond repair."

From Mai, that was a severe threat. The vain woman was absolutely convinced that anyone would be terrified to have their face mutilated. Valon would much more likely be afraid of the pain that would come during the act of mutilating. The brunet actually felt the slightest bit sorry for whoever would be caught spying. Mai was unforgiving and sadistic to boot. There would be no mercy for anyone who opposed Mai.

"If you are so sure there are spies then this attack will be even more dangerous for your position", Valon commented suddenly when he realized the fact himself. "If the information of the attack leaks then the people of Kirusae will be waiting for you. Your forces would be rushing right into an ambush."

"Not necessarily", Mai said with a small chuckle and Valon was out of the loop once more.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Otogi is my sweet little plot device. That's what the twits are for.

Hmm, I bet you're wondering what Mai is scheming, aren't you?


	21. Fairytale

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 21**

**Fairytale**

Seto had not thought that it would be easy to make the sprites accept the increased amount of humans in their group. It took some time until Yugi managed to calm his friends down, during which the brunet had leaned against a tree while he watched the proceedings.

Yugi and his four levitating friends were talking in such quiet tones that it was impossible for Seto to know what was being said. He did his best to read to the sprites' expressions to find out how Yugi was doing, however. The shorter tan sprite that Yugi had introduced as Malik, the one with fox features, was very angry. It was a wonder that he was not screaming with the bright red face he was sporting. The taller one of the two platinum-haired sprites, the one with wolf tendencies and the name Marik, was looking around in a bored manner, clearly not interested in how this all ended. He did pet his shorter companion on the head occasionally, however, attempting to calm the other down. Too bad the gesture seemed to only annoy the fox sprite more with every single time it was repeated. The last sprite was the tallest one of the bunch with brown hair and what seemed to be monkey features. Yugi had introduced him as Hiroto and his brows were furrowed into a deep frown as he took turns in scolding both Yugi and the fox-sprite.

"This is going to take forever", Jou commented from right beside Seto and the brunet instantly turned his attention to the blond, who was looking at the group of four with worry written all over his face.

"I'm sure Yugi can handle them", Seto commented in what he hoped was a comforting manner but might have come out as sarcastic instead. Seto paid no mind to that, however, as he looked over the human members of the group who were all waiting patiently or impatiently for the conclusion of the meeting going on out of the hearing distance of all of them.

Yami's right foot was tapping the ground while he stood with his arms crossed and kept his eyes focused intently on his precious Yugi. Otogi was sitting on a rock and staring at the group in what looked like a bored daze while Bakura whispered something in Ryou's ear that caused the shorter boy to blush and slap the other on the shoulder lightly. Seto was certain that he did not want any details about that conversation.

When Seto turned his eyes to Otogi again he suddenly noticed that the raven-haired teen was not bored at all. Actually, the sitting teen looked like he was very keenly interested in the conversation going on. The only problem with that theory was that Otogi could not hear a single word that was being said. This meant that Otogi was interested in the people who were having the conversation and in the boredom of not being in control of the situation Seto became interested in what was going through Otogi's mind.

There was suddenly a sigh from Jou as the blond sank on the ground to sit on his knees. Seto patted the shorter teen on the head, much to the blond's annoyance, as he said encouragingly: "Don't worry. No one can argue forever." And that said Seto made his way to his self-proclaimed friend.

Otogi paid Seto no mind as he continued to stare. Seto observed the other's face closely now that there was not so much distance between them anymore, trying to decipher any thoughts that might be visible on the raven-haired boy's face. Seto soon decided that he was better off not knowing when he noticed that Otogi's lips were slightly parted and a small droplet of drool had gathered in the corner of his mouth. With a frown of distaste Seto turned his head away from the sight and tried to look into the exact same direction that Otogi was looking into. He lifted an eyebrow before glancing back to Otogi and speaking out: "Isn't that interesting?"

"Huh?" Otogi uttered with a blink before turning his to Seto. The brunet glared at the drool still on the other teen's face and grunted out: "Wipe your face, you pervert."

"Eh?" Otogi blinked again before lifting his hand brushing at the wet side of his chin. Then the raven-haired boy turned his attention back to Seto and questioned: "What is interesting?"

A smirk tugged on Seto's lips and the brunet did nothing to stop it. He bit back an amused chuckle however, preferring to simply answer the question: "I simply looked at whatever it was that had your undivided attention." This time Seto did chuckle before continuing: "Was it just my mind playing tricks on me or were you checking that brunet out?"

For a moment it looked like Otogi was going to blush but the teen seemed to regain control of his emotions in time and instead grunted back defensively: "And if I were in fact doing something like that?"

Seto shrugged his shoulders before answering as flippantly as he would, meaning not very much so: "Then I encourage it wholeheartedly."

"You don't have a heart when concerning me", Otogi pointed out suspiciously and Seto simply shrugged again. "You're only supporting me because you're still suspicious of that time I said that I thought Jou hot, aren't you?"

"Perhaps", Seto replied calmly. He was not going to confess to anything but he also saw no point in denying the truth. Otogi was very aware of his he felt on the matter of Jou. That fact was proven to be right even further when the raven-haired boy released a sigh before grunting out: "Possessive bastard."

It was a good thing that Seto had determined the conversation to be over, otherwise he might have been annoyed when the brown-haired one of Yugi's sprite friends spoke out: "Alright then. We will take you humans to our village."

"Great, let's go then", Yami said and made his way to wrap an arm around Yugi's shoulders. Seto knew his cousin well enough to know that Yami had been waiting throughout the entire conversation so impatiently just because he wanted to touch Yugi again.

"We can't just take off so suddenly, Yami", Seto commented firmly. "People will notice if seven students disappear all of a sudden. We are going to need a plausible excuse."

"Who cares?" Yami snapped angrily. "We're talking about saving Yugi's home here!"

"Which will be in danger again if people come looking for us in the forest!" Seto snapped back. That one silenced Yami as the shorter teen grit his teeth angrily. It seemed that Bakura was not convinced with just that as the albino commented loudly: "Then what are we going to do?"

"There is a spell", spoke Jou, of all people. Seto turned to look at the blond boy and was sure that everyone else present was mimicking the gesture. Jou flushed a bright red as he muttered: "There is a spell that makes people ignore the lack of certain people. The name is Forest Song, but I don't know how to cast it."

"I know that spell", spoke out the wolf-sprite, Marik. "I can cast it around the school building and all of its inhabitants." The sprite paused for a moment. "It's going to acquire a lot of energy, however, so it should be performed at night, when everyone is asleep."

"That settles that then", Yami spoke out, taking the lead. "We will pack whatever we think we might need before nightfall. After it's dark out we will all sneak here, to the edge of the forest, and Marik will cast the spell. Then we can go."

"Just one question", Ryou spoke out then. "How does Marik know human magic? I mean, we have lived apart from sprites for generations so how can both Jou and Marik know the same spell? Jou is human, after all."

"Sprites have been turned human before", Otogi pointed out suddenly and immediately everyone looked at him. Seto wondered how the raven-haired teen could possibly know such a thing but his worry about the world ending died as soon as Otogi continued: "There are a lot fairytales about sprites. Some of them must be true and I know one where a sprite woman asked to be turned human. Maybe there are more cases like that and sprites taught the spell to humans."

"Could you tell us this story?" Yugi asked with clear excitement and as Otogi opened his mouth to speak Seto snapped: "It's a freaking fairytale. There's no way it can be true."

"Don't be so sceptical, Seto", Yami spoke then and Seto was certain that his cousin was saying that only so that he was taking Yugi's side, the fool. The thing that really changed Seto's opinion about listening to the story was when Jou walked to him, looked at him pleadingly and spoke: "Even if it's not true, I would like to hear the story."

A heavy sigh escaped from between Seto's lips before the brunet grunted: "Fine", in defeat. Otogi rubbed his hands together gleefully as he smiled with satisfaction before starting his tale: "Okay, so the story starts with a young sprite woman named Hitomi. She was very beautiful and kind but she was very interested in humans, especially this one man who she often saw walking in her home forest. One day Hitomi disguised herself, hiding her ears and tail underneath clothes, and attempted to talk to the human. The man was very friendly with her and told her that his name was Toki."

The sound Bakura let out when he snorted interrupted the story, the noise followed by the albino in question commenting: "What a stupid name." Bakura was instantly elbowed into the side by Ryou, who glared at his companion as he said sternly: "I want to listen, so keep quiet." Bakura complied, even though he did not seem to be happy about it.

"Alright then", Otogi spoke out with a frown as he tried to remember where he had been. Seto was just about to kick one of the raven-haired teen's feet in impatience when Otogi suddenly spoke again: "Okay, so Hitomi met Toki again after that and in time she grew to love the human. To her joy it was revealed that Toki felt the same way when the man proposed to her one day. Hitomi had no problems with leaving her former home behind to be with her beloved but she was struck by a dilemma: she had no idea how she could leave with humans and not be discovered as something else. In the end Hitomi came to a desperate conclusion and decided to pay a visit to the sorceress of the forest named Mai."

"Mai?" this time it was Yami who interrupted. "Is it the same Mai that changed Yugi? In that case, how old is she?"

"She looked around twenty but not any older than that", Yugi replied instantly before turning his attention to Otogi again. "Please, tell the story. How does it continue?"

"Well, Hitomi went to see Mai and told the sorceress all about her troubles. Mai was sympathetic and told Hitomi of a spell that could make her human. However, Mai was not going to help Hitomi for free and so she stated her terms." Otogi paused then, like he was trying to gain effect to what he was about to say. "Mai told Hitomi that she would turn her human in return for her first child born as a sprite. Hitomi agreed."

"What?" Ryou exclaimed suddenly and Seto was about to actually let his annoyance show that time. If they had been so intent to hear the story then why were they interrupting all the time? Still, just like everyone else, Seto turned to Ryou as the boy questioned: "What kind of a mother would agree to such terms?"

"A mother who was not planning on getting pregnant", Otogi replied before waving his hand dismissively. "Now let me tell the story. So, Hitomi was turned human and so she was able to marry Toki. She never told Toki about her family or the deal that she had made and the two of them were happy for years. And then something awful happened.

"Hitomi became pregnant. Toki was ecstatic about this turn of events but Hitomi could not find it within herself to celebrate. Toki was puzzled by his wife's behaviour but did not question it. He thought that Hitomi was merely worried about her ability to carry a child. Then, nine moths later, a boy child was born." Otogi paused slightly, apparently making sure that he would not be interrupted again. "The boy was perfectly healthy, something that made Toki glad. And, as he had expected, Hitomi became happy again as well. For you see, the child was born as completely human."

"Well, that's only expected", Yugi commented suddenly. "Hitomi was human then, so of course her child would also be human like both of his parents." The small boy smiled at Otogi. "I guess the story has a happy ending then?"

"Maybe", Otogi replied vaguely before continuing on: "So, Hitomi also made that same assumption about her children being born human. Because of that she agreed with Toki's suggestion of getting a second child. This time around she gave birth to a girl. She was healthy and beautiful but both Toki and Hitomi received a terrible surprise. The girl had two dog-ears growing from her head.

"Toki was confused and suddenly remembered Hitomi's behaviour during the previous pregnancy. He asked Hitomi if she was expecting something like this to happen and the woman told him her story. Toki grew scared then and together with his family he moved away from their house with the intention of making sure that Mai would not find them.

"It seemed that the plan had worked but five years after the girl's birth Mai finally came to claim what was hers. Hitomi and Toki both tried to resist but in the end Mai disappeared with their child. Hitomi was devastated by what happened but Toki was enraged. The man took his human son and left Hitomi to her own devices, starting to hate sprites for the deceiving nature he now associated with them. Hitomi started the lonely journey back to her old home, determined to find Mai and reclaim her daughter. But to her further despair she noticed that her transformation had taken away the magic she had had by birth and she was now unable to see anything sprite-related. She had truly lost everything."

After that Otogi trailed off and his eyes widened slightly as he stared at something that was on Seto's right side. Seto knew very well that Jou was standing beside him and was about to step forth to punch the raven-haired teen. A sudden choked sob stopped him, however. Seto instantly turned around to see Jou's eyes wet with tears that had yet to fall.

"Jou?" Seto questioned from the blond. "What's wrong?"

"I…I'm sorry", Jou muttered with shame written all over his face. "It's just…the story is just really sad." Knowing very well that Jou was not a person to cry from small discomfort, Seto laid his hands on Jou's shoulders. The blond's tears then finally broke through and Seto pulled the shorter body against his own in a manner that was meant to soothe.

"I'm so sorry", Jou whispered against Seto's shirt. "I just can't stop."

Looking around the group Seto noticed that Jou was not the only one who had been affected strongly by the tale. He saw the forlorn expression on Ryou's face despite the boy's lowered head and Yugi was openly bawling into Yami's chest. Seto frowned in thought before speaking out: "I think we are all thinking that this story is more or less true, am I right?"

There were nods and sounds of affirmation from Yami and the sprites, soon followed by Bakura's reluctant grunt of agreement. Seto turned his attention to Otogi then and the raven-haired boy took that as hi cue to have his say in the matter: "That story was the reason I believed it when I heard you guys talking. My grandmother has told me that story tons of times and she was always saying that the sprite herself told it to her. I never believed her until I heard you guys mention both sprites and the witch Mai at the same time. I'm sure that my grandma was the only one who knew the story."

"So it really is very likely for it to be a true story?" Yami questioned then, not pausing in petting Yugi's head and caressing the boy's back. Otogi nodded his head at the question before answering: "I would say it's definitely a possibility."

"In that case, how old is this Mai-chick really?" Bakura asked then. "I mean, she was in that story that your grandma must have heard many years ago and now she's tormenting Yugi and the rest of the sprites."

"Mai doesn't age", one of Yugi's sprite friends spoke out suddenly. It was once again the brown-haired one, Hiroto. "She's ancient but she stays young by eating souls. That's why she is making those deals, she is gathering people around her so that she can take their souls when the spell making her stay young weakens."

"Why didn't you guys tell me this?" Yugi exclaimed then as the turned to his friends. He was glaring at them through his tears and the sprites did really look guilty, even as Malik answered the question: "We didn't want to worry you with the knowledge. It would have been very likely that Mai would have taken your soul if you had lost her game so we didn't want you to fail because you were nervous."

"That makes things even more difficult", Ryou spoke out then, his tone rather weak from the emotions that were clearly storming inside him. "If Mai has truly been around for that long then she is going to be an even more difficult opponent to beat."

"We can't help it", Yami spoke out sternly. "We decided to do this together and so we shall. We won't back down simply because we find out something new about our opponent."

"Right", that was spoken out by Jou, who suddenly seemed to be feeling a lot better. "We aren't cowards." That statement had Bakura agreeing instantly and soon everyone was back in the high spirits they had been in before. Seto paid the morale no attention, however, and merely marvelled in the feeling of belonging he got when his arms were around Jou's body.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Before you people start biting my head off for making Jou out of character, please note that whenever I have the characters act in a peculiar manner, I usually have a plot twist in mind that explains that behaviour.


	22. Night Travellers

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 22**

**Night Travellers**

It was nighttime and a serene atmosphere had lowered itself over the Lorestone Academy. The shadows of the night were deep, concealed the two figures standing beneath a tree almost completely. One of the figures was very tall while the other was short in comparison to its companion. Two shadows neared the place the two were standing at and soon a soft voice whispered: "Yami? Are you here?"

"Right here Yugi", responded the shorter one of the two figures by the tree and the two new arrivals made their way towards the sound of the voice.

"Are we the only ones out here?" Ryou asked in a whisper, to which Seto answered in his typical blunt manner: "So it would seem."

There was a creaking sound and the group of four all turned their heads towards the sound when two more people climbed out through one of the rooms on the first floor. The room behind the two was completely dark so their faces were hidden but Yami knew who to expect, and so did everyone else present.

"Bakura, finally", Ryou said with a sigh and the albino in question immediately made his way to him before explaining curtly: "Sorry, I fell asleep waiting for the night to fall."

"Hiya, Seto", Jou's voice spoke then and Yami could imagine a smile that came to Seto's face in response. No one would be able to see it in the darkness so the brunet would feel no shame in the gesture.

"Hello, Jou", Seto greeted back and Yami saw his cousin's tall shadow move closer to the black form that was Jou. The distance between the two was suspiciously small but Yami was not one to comment since his arms had gone around Yugi's shoulders as soon as the small boy had been close enough for him to do so.

"Is everyone here now?" asked a new voice and Yami actually jumped slightly in surprise. He turned his head around in the darkness and could make out a new humanoid form right next to him. The large mane of hair that rose into every direction was the thing that helped Yami recognize the new arrival.

"Marik", Yami greeted, followed by Yugi's excited repeat of the sprite's name. The crimson-eyed youth then replied to the question that the wolf had asked: "We're still waiting for Otogi."

"Can't we just leave him behind?" Seto asked then with amusement in his voice. "The Forest Song spell will affect him too, won't it? He won't even notice that he got dumped."

"Man, Kaiba, you truly are a good friend", an all too familiar voice drawled then and everyone glanced to the direction the voice had come from. And that was where Otogi was standing with a lit flashlight in his hand. "You make me all teary eyed."

"Stop with the waterworks", Seto snapped back immediately before pointing at the flashlight the other teen was holding. "And turn that thing off. Do you want us to be caught?"

"Fine fine", Otogi grumbled before turning the flashlight off with a click. "You're always so grumpy."

"I sure hope it didn't take you so long to come because you were looking for that thing", Seto growled then and Yami completely agreed with his cousin for a change.

"Of course not", Otogi replied easily as he tucked the flashlight away. "I was working on my hair."

"You-" Seto started but was silenced when Yami threw a hand over the brunet's mouth. Even though Yami was angry with Otogi as well, letting Seto yell at the teen would only get them into trouble. And it was not even certain that Otogi was telling the truth. He might have been joking as well, even though there was a large chance of the raven-haired teen telling the truth. Otogi certainly was vain enough for that.

"Can I cast the spell now?" Marik asked then and since there was not reason to further delay their journey Yami nodded his head and spoke out just in case the sprite could not see the gesture: "Yes, you can go on ahead and cast it. We're all here now."

Yami thought he heard Seto grumble: "Unfortunately", to his words but paid it no mind as he reached for Yugi and grasped the shorter teen's hand after a few failed attempts.

&&&&&&&

After Marik had cast the spell the group made its way to the forest where Hiroto and Malik were waiting. Even though Yugi was happy to see his friends he decided that it would be best to leave any enthusiastic hellos for later as his two old friends started to lead the way to Kirusae.

The group journeyed through the forest with Hiroto in the lead, lighting the way with a shining fragment that channelled his magical energy to the air. The brunet was followed by Yugi and Yami. The taller star-haired teen refused to let go of Yugi, much to the former sprite's amusement even when he was enjoying the attention very much. The two lovers were followed by another pair, consisting of Bakura and Ryou. After the two albinos walked Otogi, who was humming to himself in good spirits. Jou, Seto, Malik and Marik were at the tail of their little cue but Yugi was not sure what order the four were moving in.

When they had been walking for what seemed like an entire hour, there was suddenly an enraged yell from Seto: "Damn it! Leave Jou alone you pest!"

Turning quickly around Yugi tried to see what was going on and it was made possible with the glowing fragments that the sprites had lit to float around them. At the moment Jou was within Seto's protective grasp, blinking around in surprise while Seto glared heatedly at Marik. The wolf sprite had some of his wild hair trapped in Malik's grasp, the smaller sprite pulling at the locks mercilessly as he raged: "What the heck do you think you're doing sniffing that human, huh?" When Marik opened his mouth to speak an excuse Malik pulled harder at his hair and continued on: "I thought that was something you only did to **my** hair! It was supposed to be something sacred, you jerk!"

"He smells of dog!" Marik exclaimed suddenly and in his shock Malik actually released his hold on Marik's hair. Marik's apparent relief was short-lived, though, when Seto in turn rushed to him and actually punched him in the chin.

"You dare to say things like that?" Seto yelled at the wolf sprite. "I'm going to show you what a fried wolf smells like and then you can rethink throwing around such insults!"

"It wasn't an insult!" Marik shouted back while regaining his posture. "I simply stated what I smelled. I was wondering if I smelled right but he does smell like a dog."

"I'm going to beat you to the ground!" Seto hissed and clearly would have attacked Marik if Jou had not trapped him in place by wrapping his arms around his waist from behind.

"Stop it, Seto!" Jou pleased to the brunet. "It's fine, really. I wasn't really offended. Leave Marik's face intact."

For a moment it looked like Seto was not going to listen and star clobbering Marik but after a moment the brunet huffed and relaxed his posture. Jou released his hold on Seto and the taller teen started to speak: "Fine. I'll lay off." He pointed a finger at Marik and glared at him in a menacing manner. "But you had better stay away from Jou from now on."

"I think we should take a break", Hiroto commented then in that pacifying way that he often used when talking to Malik. "It's really late and none of us have been able to sleep since last night."

"Expect Marik, who went on a nap as soon as Yugi and his friends left to get ready", Malik put in. The statement immediately had Marik defending himself: "I had to cast a complicated spell! I deserved and needed that rest." Then the tall sprite yawned widely. "Ah, and it seems that I need more rest now."

"Alright, we'll set up camp here", Yami spoke out finally and was immediately faced with an argument from Otogi as the raven-haired teen exclaimed: "You're got to be kidding me! We're sleeping on the cold and hard ground?"

"What's wrong with that?" Jou put in. "I mean, you couldn't have possibly expected that we could make it to a hidden village within a single night. The sprite village must be very deep in the forest for it to have been able to stay hidden for as long as it has."

"But we don't even have any tents!" Otogi kept on arguing. "I mean, I brought a blanket to sleep with but no one would actually bring camping gear to a school with real bedrooms."

"We'll make due with what we have", Seto said sternly. "It doesn't look like rain so there's nothing to worry about."

"And besides", Hiroto spoke out then. "Me, Malik and Marik can all manipulate our magic to shield us from the rain, animals and cold. It's really no problem at all for us."

"Then it's settled", Malik stated with finality and grabbed one of Marik's arms. "And now I will have a look at your chin and see how much damage that brute of a human did to you."

"I am no brute", Seto grunted at the two platinum blonds but it seemed that neither Malik nor Marik seemed to be paying him much attention. Seto seemed to decide it was not worth the trouble since he did not press the issue as he simply looked around and spoke out a lot more calmly: "I think this spot will be as good as any. Let's put up the camp, shall we?" And with that everyone seemed to finally get a move on.

&&&&&&&

"Ah!" Marik exclaimed as he turned his face away from Malik's prodding hands. "Don't touch it!"

"You're going to have a pretty dark bruise there tomorrow if it's that painful", Malik spoke out calmly, not bothered at all by Marik's yells. The group was finished with setting up their camp and Malik had sat down with Marik to inspect the damage Kaiba's punch had done. Unfortunately to the fox sprite, the taller teen was not being very cooperative and attempted to avoid Malik's touches to the sensitive spot on his chin.

"Look, it's not going to get any better from you constantly touching it", Marik argued and Malik shot his counterpart a heated glare.

"I'm only trying to help, you ungrateful jerk", Malik growled at the other sprite. The taller blond seemed to have some serious issues concerning his pride. It was quite clear to Malik that Marik would much prefer suffering in silence, appearing uncaring about his injuries to others. The wolf might have considered that to be cool but in Malik's opinion it was stupid and childish. Marik was probably crying out more because of the loss of his dignity than any actual pain he might be experiencing.

"You're so pathetic…" Malik muttered as he touched his fingers to the tan skin right next to the bruised area that was a painful color of red. This time Marik did not flinch away of shout out so Malik applied pressure to that spot in order to turn Marik's head to the side enough for him to see the injury in the soft light that the fragment he was using as a light source provided.

"We can't really do anything about it since we don't have any ice", Malik commented finally. "Cool pressure might lessen the swelling but it might already be too late to do that." The shorter blond took his hand away from Marik's skin, but it was not quite fast enough. The fox had had enough time to notice that Marik was both warm and unexpectedly soft.

"Damn", Marik mumbled in a displeased manner. "I'm going to look misshaped for days now." The wolf brought a hand to his cheek but immediately pulled his fingers back and grimace in pain. Malik reached out a hand and grasped the other teen's wrist to keep his companion from touching the injury.

"Don't touch it", Malik ordered sternly but still gave the other sprite a gentle smile. "And don't worry: you won't look misshaped. The color should fade in a week or so."

"But I don't want to have a bruised face for a week", Marik whined but fell silent suddenly. Malik blinked curiously at the odd action and noticed that Marik was staring intently at something in his lap. Malik glanced down to see that his hand was still wrapped around Marik's wrist.

A furious blush spread on Malik's cheeks as he pulled his hand back like it had been burned. Still, the damage had already been done and Marik was smiling at him in a mix of joy and smugness.

"Don't think too much of this", Malik warned the wolf sprite. "I'm still angry about what you did with that human."

"Of course", Marik spoke quietly, like a scolded child. Still, Malik noticed that the dark eyes held a lot more hope in them than before.

&&&&&&&

There were flames everywhere. Hungry fire seemed to eat up everything that crossed its path from houses to people. Among the clay and stone remains of small huts there lied an occasional carcass that looked humanoid.

Yugi looked around in horror as the fearsome and unforgiving flames destroyed his childhood home. In a small part of his heart Yugi felt that this was all his fault, that this could have all been prevented if he had never been so fascinated with humans.

"My my, little Yugi is back home", came a sneering female voice and Yugi's head whipped around to see Mai's form standing on the grass not far from him. The witch's golden blond hair billowed around her in an uncontrolled manner but still Yugi could see her face clearly. The beautiful features were twisted into a sinister smile while her purple eyes shone icy cold, sending chills down Yugi's spine.

In a flash Mai's beautiful face changed, the healthy shade of her skin replaced by an unhealthy-looking color of ghastly white. The formerly smooth skin was now worn and wrinkled while the silky hair that had shone like sunlight was now dull grey.

"You have no place here anymore, little Yugi", Mai spoke out then. Her formerly melodious voice had turned raspy and her strong carefully groomed wings drooped and looked haggard. When the witch spoke her teeth were shown, having become yellow instead of their former pearly white appearance.

"Tell me, little Yugi, what is a little human doing here in the middle of the forest?" Mai questioned in her cruel voice and Yugi instantly snapped angrily at her: "I'm here to protect my home from you!"

Mai laughed. It was a shrilly noise that reminded Yugi of the screeching of bats. And then the witch spoke again: "Did you call this place your home, little Yugi?" The bird woman smirked with her rotten teeth. "This is a home of sprites, not humans." The woman spread her arms to her sides. "Just look around you, little Yugi. Do you see a home here?"

Yugi did look around, and to his horror, there was nothing around him anymore, besides the trees of the forest. All signs of the former carnage were gone: there were no houses in flames or collapsed bodies of sprites anywhere anymore.

"W-what?" Yugi stuttered as he looked around himself. "What happened?"

"You've lost, little Yugi", Mai taunted devilishly. "You lost and that means that I won." The witch laughed again and was standing right in front of Yugi in a flash. "That means that your soul is now forfeit to me."

"No!" Yugi shouted out and backed away a step. "I won! You lost!" Mai kept on advancing and Yugi continued to retreat. When the witch reached out with a long-nailed hand Yugi yelped and fell down on his bottom.

"Stay away!" Yugi screamed as he turned around while he pulled himself up and started to run away from the witch. The boy did not get far away, however, when he ran into a chest. A pair of hands grabbed Yugi's arms in a vice grip and Yugi struggled against the hold as he turned his gaze up to deep brown eyes.

"It's just a soul Yugi", an emotionless voice spoke as those dull eyes stared down at Yugi. "Give it up."

"No!" Yugi sobbed as tears streamed down his cheeks. "No…I won… Yami loves me. Let me go." Yugi tried to pull away from the taller form but the hold on his arms did not give in. Yugi returned his tear-blurred eyes to the soulless eyes glaring him down mercilessly.

"It's no use struggling, Yugi", Jou spoke out coldly. "You can't do anything anymore."

_**To be continued…**_


	23. Pieces of Heaven

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 23**

**Pieces of Heaven**

The sounds of screams reached Yugi's ears again and it took the small boy a while to realize that he was the one doing the screaming. Yugi was screaming and crying uncontrollably. All the pain and fear was simply too much to take. He had to get it all out.

A pair of arms was wrapped around Yugi's body; the small boy became aware of this when the fog in his mind started to pass. The former sprite felt disoriented but when he focused on the feeling of strong arms around him he started to regain his senses.

"Yugi?" a pleasant, deep voice called the boy softly. That voice was soothing to Yugi's panicked mind and the teen found himself calming down as that voice kept repeating his name, calling him back to consciousness.

Right there, surrounded by the gentle arms and the lovely voice, Yugi felt completely content and safe. Slowly the small boy started to regain his senses as he became more awake and less asleep. Most of the content of his terrible nightmare faded from his memory. The words Mai had spoken to him seemed completely distant now and the vision of Jou's dead eyes faded into the flames of his dream.

"Yugi?" the voice kept repeating his name and Yugi finally recognized the person holding and calling him. The boy opened his eyes and smiled gratefully at Yami's worried face before throwing his arms around the taller teen's shoulders and holding the other close.

As he became fully aware of his surroundings Yugi noticed that he was sitting sideways in Yami's lap and he not had his head buried against the crook of the crimson-eyed teen's neck. It was a good place to be and Yugi had no desire to leave his sanctuary, even if he was completely alright now. The feeling of inescapable fear and despair was gone now, along with the tears. His body was still shaking from the after effects of his emotional trauma, and Yami squeezed the small boy tightly because he still thought Yugi needed it.

Basking in the loving attention was pleasant and Yugi suddenly thought, rather selfishly in his own opinion, that he would not mind being held like this for a while longer. But, much to the former sprite's dismay, the couple was interrupted then.

&&&&&&&

Even though Yugi's sobbing was a silent enough sound to sleep through, the small boy's screams were enough to wake even the deepest of sleepers that belonged to the group travelling through the forest. Because of this everyone was awake to see Yami gather Yugi into his arms and then begin to softly call the small boy by name.

Not yet used to seeing his cousin act so tender towards anyone, Seto was slightly disturbed as he watched Yami's attempts to wake up Yugi without startling the other boy by being too loud. And the oddest thing about it all was that it seemed to work. First Yugi's screams quieted down into moans and whimpers and then the tears stopped flowing down the pale cheeks. Finally the small sounds the boy was creating were silenced completely, replaced by soft breathing a moment before the wide eyes of the former sprite opened. A smile spread on the boy's lips when he clearly recognized Yami and a second later the taller teen was being hugged by his smaller love.

There was a small cooing sound from Ryou and a gag from Bakura that was badly disguised as a cough. Seto did not look at any reactions but those two reached his ears before the brunet began to grow angry. It seemed to have become a habit to the new couple, to always cuddle, kiss or make out at the most inappropriate of times; when other people were there to see it. Did the two have no sense of decency? You did not show your affections publicly unless you got your kicks out of being an exhibionist.

"Honestly, can't you two control your hormones even once?" Seto snapped angrily and got a sick sense of satisfaction from seeing Yugi jump out of Yami's lap and right onto the ground from being so thoroughly startled. Yami turned his crimson eyes to Seto, glaring at his taller cousin with all his might. Seto felt no fear towards the shorter boy, however. Yami's sad excuse of a glare was nothing compared to the ones Seto was capable of. And the brunet was about to prove that by continuing on now that he had gained momentum, but he was cut off by Bakura drawling in an all too pleased tone of voice: "Looks like someone isn't getting any."

Seto instantly turned his face towards the boy that had spoken, glaring at Bakura with icy malice. Bakura was grinning widely, like he had suddenly won first prize in a contest, but the grin turned a bit less victorious when the smaller albino sitting next to the cocky teen shifted in a manner that was most likely threatening from Bakura's point of view even though no one else would have noticed anything wrong with the gesture. This assumption was proven correct when Ryou spoke out sternly and coldly: "Well, Bakura, you aren't exactly 'getting any' either, are you?" With that the green eyes shot a warning glare at Bakura.

The way Bakura flinched from Ryou's words was visible to anyone looking at the pair, and everyone was looking at them. It was now Seto's turn to smirk at the other as Bakura's cheeks flushed a faint pink and the taller of the two albino's muttered in a sheepish tone of voice: "No, I'm not." The only thing missing would have been the 'dear' from the end and then Seto would not have been able to fight back loud laughter.

Even though Seto did not laugh at Bakura, someone else did. The sound of a snort that had been held back unsuccessfully reached Seto's ears and the brunet turned his attention to Jou. The blond was sitting underneath a tree and his lips had turned into a wide grin that allowed his teeth to flash slightly in the dim light that surrounded the makeshift camp.

As Seto continued to watch Jou, mesmerized by the way the blond's cheeks were slightly flushed from barely contained laughter, Jou's brown eyes finally met Seto's own blue ones. The blond blushed a deeper shade of red when he noticed Seto's intent gaze and he instantly ran a hand through his hair in an embarrassed gesture.

Jou's blush did not fade away the slightest as the blond spoke in a rather timid tone of voice: "Hey, Seto. If it'll make you feel better then I would be happy to cuddle with you." The blond seemed to gain more confidence as he spoke and finished in his typical playful manner: "I really mean it: just cuddle."

It was refreshing, the way Jou so openly attempted to respond to the constant flirting Seto had been throwing at the blond for days now. Jou had actually been a lot bolder than Seto had, and the brunet was most certainly not going to let this opportunity pass him by.

"Alright, then", Seto replied easily, shrugging his shoulders before starting to walk towards the spot where Jou was positioned at. The blond's eyebrows disappeared underneath his wild mane of hair as he waved his arms wildly and exclaimed: "You mean you actually accept?"

"Why of course", Seto replied with a pleasant smile as he plopped down on the ground next to Jou. The situation was simply perfect in his opinion. Everyone probably knew that Seto had ulterior motives to acting this way, other than simply showing Jou that he was the tougher one of the two. Still, no one would comment. Of this Seto was certain. And because of that Jou would be completely oblivious to Seto's true thoughts of cuddling the blond. That meant that Jou would be blushing adorably the whole time. A grin threatened to break through on Seto's lips as the brunet thought about the possibility of Jou falling asleep in his arms. Then Seto could keep the blond to himself throughout the entire night.

Seto glanced around quickly, noticing that despite the amused atmosphere no one was making any comments as everyone was getting ready to sleep again. Satisfied with the situation Seto turned to Jou and smirked at the blond, causing the smaller boy to blush yet again. Taking advantage of the distracted state Jou was in Seto wrapped an arm around Jou's shoulders and pulled the blond against his chest.

Ever so slowly Jou moved himself around to get more comfortable in Seto's arms. The brunet leaned back to lie down, pulling Jou down along with him. The blond wiggled around slightly and Seto noted that his cheeks were a rosy red. Finally Jou seemed to find a comfortable enough position, with his head on top of Seto's chest and shoulder, lying halfway over the brunet as one of his arms was thrown across Seto's chest, his hand resting on Seto's opposite shoulder.

Since Jou had finally settled down Seto put his other arm around the blond as well and felt Jou's warmth through his clothes. As the blond grew more comfortable Seto noticed the body on top of him relax and heard Jou's breathing grow steadier. Seto finally allowed his eyes to slid shut and thought in a manner that was very unlike himself that this was probably the closest thing to paradise he had ever experienced.

&&&&&&&

For Yugi, the next morning was the best one of his entire life so far. Even though he was still tired, since they had went to sleep late and had all woken up due to Yugi's nightmare, Yugi felt content and happy. This feeling was caused by the fact that the small boy had woken up wrapped in Yami's arms.

Sitting up, struggling a bit to do so, Yugi took a better look at the sleeping teen that had been comforting him the previous night. Yugi noticed that the details of the dream were escaping his memory but he was not too concerned by that. It had been just a dream, after all. It was probably just a collection of his latest worries and fears. At least that was what Yugi suspected, but he could not really be sure since he could not remember what had happened in his dream. Yugi only remembered the feeling of utter despair that the dream had woken in him.

Not sparing the forgotten dream another thought Yugi directed all of his attention to the relaxed features of Yami's face. When awake then taller teen seemed to radiate strength and independence but now that he was unconscious the strength had dimmed somewhat, replaced by a tender kindness that was usually only present in the fleeting touches the crimson-eyed teen had bestowed upon Yugi.

A smile spread on Yugi's face as he leaned closer to Yami's face. He placed a soft kiss on his love's lips, simply because he wanted and was able to. The kiss had been meant to be just a simple and brief touch but then a loud cheer of 'Good morning!' startled Yugi in a manner that had the small boy bumping his lips against Yami's rather painfully.

Yelping in pain Yugi pulled his head away from Yami's as the other teen stirred and woke up. Yugi turned his head to see Malik, who was levitating in mid-air and staring back at Yugi with his mouth hanging open slack.

"What?" Yugi breathed out with a burning blush staining his cheeks. "What are you staring at?"

"I just never expected you to be so bold, Yugi", Malik admitted and then turned his gaze to the figure sitting up next to Yugi. Yugi also looked over at his boyfriend and saw Yami look around confusedly for a short while before he turned his gaze to Yugi.

"What just happened?" Yami questioned and Yugi felt himself blush again. The smaller boy muttered an unintelligible answer before leaning forward to plant a kiss on Yami's mouth. This time he succeeded to brush his lips against Yami's own gently. When Yugi pulled away he noticed a dazedly happy look on Yami's face and was happy about being able to bring that look on his love's face.

&&&&&&&

As soon as Jou felt his consciousness begin to return to him the blond immediately knew that he had woken up a lot earlier than he usually would have. This he noticed from the way it was extremely difficult to open his eyes. Jou knew that he had not gotten enough sleep and was very intent on going back to sleep until he had slept enough but he soon found out that he was not going to be able to do that.

Jou kept his eyes firmly shut as he attempted to fall back to sleep but the task was proven close to impossible when the blond's mattress and pillow kept on moving around. Jou clung on to the warm surface he was sleeping on but the grip loosened instantly when a yelp of pain reached the blond's ears. The sudden shock shook away the last remains of sleepiness as Jou sat up on his knees to stare around wildly before his gaze settled on what he had been using as a mattress.

Seto's deep blue eyes were glaring up at Jou and the blond blushed from embarrassment as he released a nervous laugh before offering weakly: "Sorry?"

"Hn", Seto grunted in response as he finally sat up. The brunet smoothened down his irritatingly neat hair before continuing: "We need to get going. According to Yugi and his friends we will be able to reach the sprite village next night if we don't stop to loiter." As he spoke Seto stood up and offered Jou his hand. The blond felt rather embarrassed by the way the brunet was treating him but accepted the gesture nonetheless and allowed Seto to pull him up on his feet.

"I take it you were enjoying yourself", Seto spoke slowly, in the same manner the brunet usually spoke when teasing Jou. "At least you seemed to be unwilling to get off me."

"I was just really tired", Jou argued and covered his mouth as he yawned widely. "I still am. I didn't get enough sleep."

"Stop complaining", Seto shot at the shorter teen as he grabbed Jou's upper arm and started to drag Jou off with him. "You'll feel a lot better when you have woken up properly. Come on now, everyone else is already ready to go. You were the last one to wake up."

"Seriously?" Jou questioned incredulously. "What the heck? Am I the only one here who actually needs to sleep?" The blond quieted down when he glanced at Bakura and noticed the burden settled on the other boy's back. Jou grinned at his friend as he questioned: "Stuck doing husband duty, Bakura?"

"Oh shut up", Bakura snapped back as he fixed the sleeping Ryou's position on his back. Jou did not miss the way Bakura's tone was lower than it usually would have been, clearly for the purpose of not waking up the boy he was giving a piggyback ride to.

"Honestly, you're so whipped", Jou commented with a small chuckle and grinned even more widely when he saw Bakura blush from embarrassment. "Has he made you sleep on the couch yet?"

"He hasn't even allowed me to sleep next to him", Bakura snapped back as his cheeks turned even redder. The albino scoffed in distaste as he muttered: "For some reason he doesn't trust me to not touch him inappropriately while he is unconscious." Bakura shrugged his shoulders then. "I can't see why he would feel like that, though."

"It's because you're a hopeless pervert", Seto commented from Jou's side and the blond suddenly realized that the brunet was still holding his arm in a gentle yet strong grip. "Ryou doesn't want his innocence tainted."

"What does that mean?" Yugi's voice commented from a few metres away in a curious manner. "Yami, what did Seto mean with that?"

"It means that…uhh…" Jou almost snickered at the way Yami trailed off awkwardly in the middle of his sentence. Seriously, one would think that with his blunt manner Yami would not feel so uncomfortable to explain to Yugi what kind of innocence everyone was talking about. But then again, Yami seemed to have a protective streak when it came to Yugi.

"It means that Ryou only wants to cuddle and maybe kiss Bakura and not do any more than that", Jou spoke helpfully, deciding that he might as well be the one to give Yugi a some kind of an explanation. "Ryou doesn't want Bakura in a position where he can do more than that."

"Like what?" Yugi commented with a thoughtful frown. Jou stayed quiet, certain that Yugi would be able to come to a conclusion on his own. Everyone else also stayed silent, either because they thought like Jou or because they were too embarrassed to fill in.

A moment passed before Yugi's eyes widened in a comical manner. The expression was accompanied by a deep blush that took over the small boy's entire face. There was also a small whimper from the boy, one that could be analysed easily to mean: "Oh."

Jou allowed himself to snicker once. He figured he had deserved that small luxury.

_**To be continued…**_


	24. Inner Thoughts

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 24**

**Inner Thoughts**

It was not often that Ryou snapped, but sometimes it was simply too difficult to try and stay calm. This was proven to be one of those times when Ryou yelled with his face a burning red color from anger and embarrassment: "No, Bakura! I've already said that a million times!"

The taller white-haired teen jumped at the loud voice but recovered quickly and whined, rather pathetically: "But why not, Ryou?"

"Because!" Ryou yelled at the boy walking beside him before hurrying his steps in an effort to gain some distance to the other. Bakura was not so easily denied, though, as had become clear from the hours of whining and begging Ryou had been forced to endure. Bakura changed his steps to match the ones Ryou was taking and continued to press on: "Tell me why. What is it that is so wrong with it?"

"Someone please help me here!" Ryou bellowed in exasperation. At the front of the group, Yugi and Yami turned their heads as one to see what was wrong. "Someone please explain to Bakura why I'm not jumping at the chance to sleep with him!"

"Sure", Yami spoke out before turning his crimson gaze to Bakura. "Bakura, you are experienced in that area so you don't really understand. This is Ryou's first time we're talking about so he has the right to be nervous and hesitant."

"Or then", Seto added in suddenly and Ryou could tell from the brunet's tone of voice that he was not going to like what the other had to say. "There is also the possibility that Ryou is afraid that he can't satisfy Bakura."

"Seto!" Jou exclaimed and hit Seto's arm with a resounding slap. The brunet visibly winced at the impact and Ryou was convinced that he did not need to give Seto any additional bruises. As Seto gripped his injured arm Jou continued on in a displeased tone: "You can't go around saying stuff like that!"

"Why not?" Seto questioned snappily. "I mean, it's no secret that he is a virgin. Everyone can see that." This time the brunet was punched as Jou argued: "It's not fair to just go and make a joke out of it! There's nothing wrong with being a virgin!"

"Oh, is that so?" Seto questioned as Ryou could actually hear the brunet's smirk before he saw it. Ryou was absolutely certain that Seto was going to say something flirty to embarrass Jou once again. Just as the boy had thought about that Seto continued: "Are you, Jou, by any chance, a virgin?"

A slight blush spread on Jou's cheeks as he blond crossed his arms over his chest defensively and snapped at the brunet walking beside him: "And what if I am?"

Seto's smirk grew even more sinister, if that was even possible, before the brunet spoke out in a low tone of voice that everyone could still hear clearly: "Then good."

Ryou did not think he had ever seen anyone blush so red before as Jou did right then. Suddenly, Ryou felt grateful for Bakura. The other albino might have been a real jerk, but at least he was not as devious as Seto was as well.

&&&&&&&

"Tell me, Ishizu", Mai spoke out, getting the other woman's attention instantly despite her quiet tones. Mai gazed right into Ishizu's calm eyes as she questioned slowly: "When was the last time you saw your brother?"

"Two days ago, mistress", Ishizu answered immediately, without the slightest bit of hesitation. Mai saw no lie in the deep blue eyes and so she asked: "Did he tell you where he was coming from or where he was going?"

"No, he didn't, mistress", Ishizu replied and again Mai could not detect any foul play in the other woman. The blonde nodded her head once before speaking: "What would you do if you found out that your brother was going to betray our cause?"

"I…don't understand the question", Ishizu answered and for the first time Mai could remember, she detected hesitation in the dark woman. Ishizu seemed to recover herself, however, and continued: "What are you asking from me, mistress?"

"I am asking you who you would side with", Mai snapped threateningly. "Would you rise against me on your brother's side or would you crush your brother for your mistress?"

"I wasn't aware that we could make such choices, mistress", Ishizu answered and Mai cursed the well-calculated moves the other was making. The wolf sprite knew her too well. Ishizu knew that Mai's pride would never allow her to admit that she did not have complete control of her underlings. But if Mai did not confess, then she could not make Ishizu answer her question in a less evasive manner.

"That's because you can't", Mai spoke out forcefully. "None of you can ever betray me. All the contracts I have made are binding."

"I am aware of that, mistress", Ishizu spoke in a manner that made Mai wonder if she was being ridiculed by the darker female or not.

"Keep an eye out for your brother's return", Mai commanded as she turned her back to the wolf sprite. "As soon as he is back I want you to send him to me."

"Is Marik in trouble with the mistress?" Ishizu questioned. Mai smirked viciously to herself before answering: "No, not if he has a word with me as soon as possible." There was no one else, Mai had concluded. No one else could have been the spy. Only Marik had left for a long enough time without anyone knowing at least which direction he had taken.

Marik was helping little Yugi, Mai was sure of it. Now the only thing she needed was proof of the wolf's betrayal. And the punishment for such a crime had always been severe: the removal of one's soul.

&&&&&&&

"You know, Marik", Malik questioned from the wolf sprite levitating beside him. "How old are you exactly?"

Marik glanced at the shorter blond before asking: "Why are you asking me about that, Malik?"

"I saw that gravity affected you the other day", Malik answered. "You were asleep then, and only adults are affected by gravity without focusing on it."

"Yea, I turned eighteen last winter", Marik confessed with a nod of his head. He did not see any problem in telling Malik that. Of course, even though Marik saw no problem it did not mean that Malik did not see one either. Of this the wolf sprite had become painfully aware so he asked rather timidly: "Is there a problem with that? With my age?"

"What?" Malik questioned in a rather distracted manner. The shorter sprite had also been thinking about something then. "No, it's not a problem at all! Why would it be?" The fox ran a hand through his hair before saying seriously: "Just so you know, I turned sixteen last spring."

"Okay", Marik said with a nod, smiling widely at Malik. Finally the other sprite had told him something about himself. More than anything Marik wanted to get to know Malik.

"You don't think anything of it?" Malik questioned carefully and Marik shook his head. Thinking that he did not want to make Malik think that he did not care at all he spoke out loud: "I'm glad that Malik trusts me enough to tell me this."

There was actually a noticeable change in Malik's skin tone right then. The shorter sprite's cheeks flushed with a slight blush as he said tentatively: "That's not what I was getting at."

"Then what does Malik mean with his question?" Marik questioned curiously, happy that he was having an actual conversation with the other sprite for once. Usually Malik was so hostile towards him that any attempts to have a conversation were doomed to fail.

"I was just wondering if it changes the way you think about me", Malik spoke out quietly, the red on his cheeks darkening and spreading to his ears. "Since you're so much older than me, I thought you might begin to patronize me."

"I would never patronize you, Malik", Marik spoke out with conviction. Malik was the most incredible person he had ever come across. He would never think badly of him simply because Malik turned out to be a couple of years younger than him. Marik decided to try his luck and brushed his knuckles against Malik's bare arm gently as he uttered: "I think you're incredible."

"Y-you do?" Malik questioned in a startled manner, his face burning now. Marik figured that this was a positive response, since Malik was not hitting him, and nodded his head vigorously. He offered the fox a smile as he said: "I don't tend to lie, Malik."

"Ah", Malik mumbled, stumbling in his words. Marik was very hopeful when he saw that his words had such a strong impact of Malik. The shorter sprite clearly cared about Marik's opinion and took his words seriously. So, maybe the beautiful blond would care about Marik as a person as well. It was a happy thought and Marik was intent on holding on to it.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: I'm really sorry about the terribly short chapter guys, but I was having serious trouble with inspiration while writing this; I think it might even be visible in the result. Anyway, I am aiming for the next chapter to be a lot better one.


	25. Weary Travellers

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 25**

**Weary Travellers**

The group had been walking almost non-stop the entire day and the exhaustion was driving out complaints from the travellers, the humans mostly. Even though Otogi had been the first one to complain about how he was not used to such physical strain, Yugi and Ryou also started to show signs of growing tired. Fortunately both of the smaller boys had a stronger counterpart that was more than happy to carry his better side on piggyback.

Yami was having some difficulties with carrying Yugi because the small boy had tired out quite some time ago and Yami had been carrying the ex-sprite around for hours now. The star-haired teen was pressing on, however, since Bakura had claimed loudly that he could carry Ryou all the way to the sprite village.

The sprites had no trouble with travelling the long distance, since they were nit weighted down by gravity. Hiroto had actually slipped to Otogi's side, clearly curious about the human that could have thought to look strange by any standards. Yami knew that Otogi absolutely loved being the centre of attention and that it was not big deal for him, so the star-haired boy was rather surprised to see the raven-haired teen acting almost shyly towards Hiroto's intense curiosity.

Malik and Marik were travelling at the end of the group, behind Jou and Seto. At least they had been there the last time Yami had glanced behind him. They had been conversing together silently for some time now, which caught Yami off guard. The crimson-eyed youth had gotten the impression that the two did not get along. Perhaps the punch Seto had given Marik had given the duo a valuable opportunity to bond.

Seto had been sticking next to Jou throughout the entire day, tormenting the blond with various comments that caused Jou to blush brightly from embarrassment. Yami wondered what was the kick that Seto got from the act. It was clear that Jou could not get enough of him, so why keep up the act of teasing? If Yami had been in Seto's shoes he would have thrown all pretences out the window a long time ago and jumped Jou. The blond seemed like he would not mind much, at least not after the beginning.

A soft thud reached Yami's ears but he paid no attention to it, since the forest around them was full of all kinds of noise. But when Seto released a worried exclamation of Jou's name the star-haired teen knew something was wrong. He turned around quickly and saw Seto picking up Jou's unconscious form.

"Seto?" Yami questioned loudly, making sure that his cousin heard his voice. "What's wrong?"

"He fainted", Seto replied back as he tugged Jou's body against his chest. The blond actually looked very small while he was unconscious and silent. "He's been really tired all day. I don't think it's anything more serious than lack of sleep."

Well, that explained it, Yami thought to himself. Seto had been teasing Jou in order to get an excuse to stay close to the blond and keep an eye out for an occasion just like this. Still, Yami felt rather annoyed. It seemed that the one thing Jou did best to catch Seto's attention was faint. The star-haired boy wondered if the blond had ever been held by Seto when he was actually aware of what was going on around him.

"Can you carry him?" Yami questioned from his cousin, who instantly started to move ahead with long and confident strides.

"Of course I can", the brunet snapped defensively. "You would be surprised by how light Jou actually is."

"Not to mention you have a lot of experience with carrying him around", Yami added, earning a shrug from his cousin.

"I guess so", Seto muttered before turning his head to Hiroto, who had actually let his attention turn away from Otogi, to whatever it was that was going on. "How long is it until the village?"

"Twenty minutes, I believe", Hiroto replied after thinking about it for a moment. "We will have to take it into account that you will be travelling more slowly since you have to carry your comrades."

"I can handle it that long", Seto commented before turning his gaze back to Yami. "How about you, cousin?"

Yami glared at his cousin as he growled: "I'm fine." It was such an annoying habit, really. The way Seto called Yami 'cousin' only when he was making another one of his taunting comments was infuriating in Yami's personal opinion.

"Did you hear that, Yugi?" Yami questioned as he turned his attention to the boy on his back, his tone instantly changing into a loving one. He was not sure if Yugi was awake but this was a good time to check. "You'll be back home in twenty minutes."

"Home", Yugi repeated groggily and Yami was not sure if Yugi had actually been awake until when Yami had addressed him. The small boy sounded very tired as he spoke: "I'll see grandpa again…I wonder if he's mad at me?"

"Of course he will be", Hiroto spoke in a scolding tone of voice that Yami could only translate to 'the big brother voice'. Seto also used that same tone of voice when speaking to his younger brother. Hiroto really seemed like he was Yugi's older brother as he spoke: "I mean, you disappeared without a word, for days I might add, and now you show up with a bunch of humans, not to mention you **are** a human now as well."

"I don't want to see him if he's mad…" Yugi grumbled into the back of Yami's neck and the taller star-haired boy turned his head slightly to the side as he comforted the other: "Don't worry, Yugi. I will be beside you the whole time. I will protect you and no one will harm you."

"Oh, his grandpa wouldn't harm him", Hiroto commented before snickering slightly. "He will just ground him." The comment was followed by a distraught groan from Yugi.

&&&&&&&

If it had not been for the small change in the air around them, then Malik would have completely missed their arrival at the sprite grounds. Kirusae was protected by strong delusion spells that were difficult to break through. Either Malik or Hiroto would need to manipulate the protective charms in order to allow their other friends to see the village. Not that they could see much in the deep darkness of night that had once again fallen over the forest.

"We're here", Malik heard Hiroto say from the front of the group. Everyone's walk came to a stop then and Ryou and Yugi climbed off of their counterparts' shoulders. The only one who was still being carried was Jou, who was apparently still unconscious in Seto's arms.

When everyone had looked around in confusion for a short while Hiroto spoke again: "There have been spells cast around here that prevent you from coming across the village. You could walk straight forward from here and the spell would confuse you in a manner that you will suddenly be walking on the other side of the village and never notice a thing."

"Then how do we get in?" snapped the brunet human, apparently tired of carrying the blond teen in his arms. Hiroto did not seem to be bothered by the human's impatient behaviour and merely continued: "There is a form of sprite magic that will create a hole on the magic wall. We will pass through there after I'm finished with the spell." With that Hiroto turned to the empty forest in front of the group. The brunet waved his arm in a slow and wide gesture and suddenly the air around them rippled.

Then there it was. There was a high, red, wooden gate rising in front of the group, the entrance to Kirusae. Of course, Malik only knew it was red because he had seen the gate before. In the deep night shadows the gate looked ominously black and uninviting. Much like the people of the village would be towards the new arrivals. Malik only hoped that the humans would draw everyone's attention so that no one paid Marik any mind. The blond frowned at that thought, scolding himself for worrying about the wolf.

&&&&&&&

While entering the village side by side with Yami, Yugi felt a feeling of dread kreep up his spine. The anticipation was killing him and he really wanted to turn around and run away. He did not want to meet his grandfather, who would surely hate him now. Yugi was a human and Sugoroku hated humans. Yugi felt his hands shake when he thought about the terrible possibility that his own grandfather might chase him out of the village.

A warm hand wrapped around Yugi's cold one and at that instant Yugi felt a lot stronger. The terrible fear that had rivalled the one he had felt in Mai's dwelling dissipated as Yugi stepped closer to Yami, resting his head against the other boy's arm. It was so much easier to be brave with Yami by his side, Yugi realized then. He also realized that he would never give this up, no matter what his grandfather did. With that thought in mind Yugi started to lead the way through the village and even though he could not see much in the darkness, he still remembered very clearly where his grandfather's house was located.

It could not be seen in the darkness, but Kirusae village looked actually more like a small town than a village. All the houses were completely made of wood and the windows did not have glass panes. This was because the sprites had had limited resources when building their village. And the Mutou house was the largest house in the village, closer to being a mansion with its multiple rooms and two stories. The reason Yugi's family was living in such a luxurious establishment was because the head of the Mutou family had always taken care of the duties of village leader and the current leader was Yugi's grandfather who had had to reclaim the title after Yugi's father's demise.

Since it was in the middle of the night, it was not very likely that their group would attract much attention. Everyone was asleep at the time but Yugi knew very well that as soon as the sun had risen the next morning there would be a large crowd of curious people who had somehow managed to hear that there were humans in the village. If Sugoroku allowed them to stay, that was.

"Okay", Yugi spoke softly when the group stopped in front of a large house. "This is where my grandfather lives."

"Nice place you got here", came Bakura's comment from behind Yugi but the small boy did not look into his direction. He was too busy trying to gather the courage he needed to knock.

"Do you want us to stay with you, Yugi?" Hiroto questioned from Yugi's left side, the side that was not occupied by Yami who was still holding Yugi's hand. Yugi looked up at his old friend's shadowed face and thought about the proposal for a moment. Finally he nodded his head and said: "I would really appreciate it if you were there to support me, Hiroto." Yugi offered the brunet a grateful smile. "Thank you."

There was a responding smile from Hiroto and the brunet spoke: "You can always count on us, Yugi. You should know that by now."

"That's right", came Malik's voice from right beside Hiroto. The fox sprite had come up right beside Hiroto and was grinning at Yugi brightly. As usual, Marik was hovering behind Yugi's tan friend.

"Thanks guys", Yugi spoke again and then steeled his expression before lifting his hand and knocking on the wooden door for a couple of times. Then he stepped back to wait for the door to open.

The door opened only a little bit at first and a bright green eye peeked out through the crack. Yugi instantly recognized the round, female eye and when the eye widened the small boy guessed that he had been recognized as well. A second later the door was swung open with such force that it almost knocked Yami straight on his forehead but the human was fortunately fast enough to tilt backwards before the impact.

"Master Yugi!" the girl in the doorway exclaimed breathlessly. She was around Yugi's height, but at that time the top of her head was higher than Yugi's since she was levitating. She had golden blond hair that stuck around into many directions, though it was not as bad as Yugi's hair was. The girl's skin was pale and she had two brown and pointy ears that could be recognized as those of a squirrel from the tufts in the very tips of the ears. The girl also had a long, fluffy tail.

"Hello, Mana", Yugi greeted the girl with a gentle smile. He had also liked Mana. She took care of the house since there had not been any other women in the house for years. Yugi suspected that at least at one point Sugoroku had been trying to pair Yugi and Mana up, probably in an effort to assure that Yugi was happily married before it was time for him to pass on.

Yugi gestured to the large group standing behind him as he questioned: "Do you think you could let me and my comrades inside? It's not very nice here in the dark."

It seemed like Mana only just now noticed that there were other people present in addition to Yugi. She covered her mouth with her small hand, gasping, before she immediately moved inside the house, giving everyone room to enter. As she did this she spoke in an urgent tone of voice: "Hurry up, hurry up! It will not do to have humans of all things walking around the village in the middle of the night."

"We're not things", Yugi heard Otogi grumble from nearby but Mana did not seem to hear as she hissed once again: "Hurry up and come inside! There will be a mass panic if someone sees you."

After that there was not as much need to usher anyone to move. It was with fairly enough speed that the group made their way into the mansion. The bright lights of the entrance hall blinded Yugi momentarily and that was why he jumped slightly when Mana suddenly released a terrified shriek. After that Yugi heard running steps and attempted to turn his head to the direction they were headed to. When Yugi regained his sight he noticed that he was about a metre off and turned the rest of the way to see Mana gushing over Jou, who was still lying limply in Seto's arms.

"Oh, your friend really doesn't look good!" the blonde uttered worriedly before looking up at Seto. "You come with me. We will put him into one of the guest rooms to rest."

"Are you sure grandpa will allow a human to sleep in his house?" Yugi questioned warily form Mana, thinking that the girl had not taken Sugoroku's dislike for humans into account. Mana turned around the give Yugi a surprisingly stern glance as she spoke: "Of course. Master Sugoroku will not throw guests outside into the night, no matter who they are." And with that the girl turned back to Seto and signalled for the brunet to follow her. Seto did actually start walking after the girl and Mana quickly shot over her shoulder, before starting up the stairs: "Master Sugoroku will be down in a moment. I'm sure he has heard all this commotion by now."

Yugi nodded his head at the girl's words, knowing his grandfather's tendencies of staying up late better than well. The former sprite had always tried to sneak out during the late hours to play with Malik in the night, but his plans had been foiled time after time when his grandfather had been awake to hear Yugi either leaving through his window or coming back in. Either way Yugi had always ended up in trouble and had had to suffer from whatever punishment his grandfather assigned him.

Shaking his head slightly Yugi cleared his head of the distracting thoughts of his childhood and early teenage years. The action earned him a questioning glance from Yami but Yugi shot the taller teen a quick smile to assure the other that here was no need to worry. Yami seemed to relax then, finally allowing his by now sweaty palm slip from Yugi's own equally wet one.

It had not been a long time since Yugi was last here, yet he felt like a lifetime had passed since his transformation into a human. Up until now Yugi had not had the time to think about his former home, family and friends. Now the former sprite realized that he had been missing Kirusae and the other sprites, even though he had not truly appreciated them when he had chosen the life by Yami's side. The only reason for Yugi to suddenly remember so many meaningless things that had not been remembered in a long time was that being in his home again awakened those memories. It was now more clearer to Yugi than ever that his life as a sprite had been completely different from the one that awaited him in the human world. For the first time since running away from his grandfather Yugi doubted his decision of becoming human.

"Yugi…" a deep, and greatly missed voice spoke out hesitantly but still loudly enough to be heard. Yugi turned to the direction of the voice instantly and gazed up the wide staircase that led the way to the second floor. There, right above the topmost steps, stood Sugoroku Mutou.

"Yugi", the old man spoke again, this time a bit more surely. "You're home."

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: This story has reached over ten thousand hits! Thank you everyone! I can't believe how popular this story has become and I would like to give you all a huge thanks for reading the story. I love you guys, without any of you there would not even be any point in writing this thing. So, thanks again and I hope this chapter was to your liking as well and that you will be sticking around until the end.


	26. A Bittersweet Night

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 26**

**A Bittersweet Night**

"Yugi…" a deep, and greatly missed voice spoke out hesitantly but still loudly enough to be heard. Yugi turned to the direction of the voice instantly and gazed up the wide staircase that led the way to the second floor. There, right above the topmost steps, stood Sugoroku Mutou.

"_Yugi", the old man spoke again, this time a bit more surely. "You're home."_

For a long while Yugi could do nothing but stare at his grandfather's face. He had not realized exactly how much he had missed the man until the moment he saw him again. The time he had yelled at the old man seemed to be another lifetime entirely and his voice shook with barely suppressed emotions as he gasped: "Grandpa…"

The old man started to walk down the steps carefully, but it was visible that the man was fighting against hurrying down the steep steps. Yugi moved closer to the staircase, his eyes not leaving those of his grandfather's. Yugi did not notice how Yami stayed in place, not moving forward by his side like the human had done until then.

After what had seemed like an eternity Sugoroku stepped down on the floor and stood right in front of Yugi. The former-sprite stared at his grandfather in awe, thinking that the man seemed to have aged five years in his absence. Sugoroku, on the other hand, was studying Yugi carefully and critically. Everyone else in the room stuck back to give the two room.

"So you decided to become a human?" Sugoroku questioned. Yugi lowered his face away from the hurt expression on his grandfather's face and nodded his head mutely. There was a hum from Sugoroku before the man continued: "And yet you came back here? To do what, I wonder…"

That was the point where Yugi looked up, remembering everything about Mai and his worry for the village. He spoke with a voice a lot stronger than he had thought he was capable of: "Mai is planning to attack Kirusae. We came here to warn everyone and to help fight against her."

As if only just now noticing the other people in the room Sugoroku glanced around Yugi's group of friends. His eyes landed on Hiroto and Malik and he directed his next words at them: "I take it you have not visited your families yet?" The two shook their heads, Yugi saw from the corner of his eye, and Sugoroku continued: "I suggest you spend the night here and go to them tomorrow. It would be best to not disturb their rest." This time both Malik and Hiroto gave nods to the man and Sugoroku's eyes came to rest on Yugi again.

"They're all but children", the old sprite spoke slowly. "What can they do against a being as ancient as Mai?"

Yugi noted the way his grandfather had called Mai ancient without any hesitation and made a mental note to question the man about the witch later on. Perhaps Sugoroku could give them some valuable and useful information. Out loud the boy answered: "Human magic is very powerful, grandpa. I'm only practising it but I have been able to cast very powerful spells." Okay, so it was just once, but Sugoroku did not need to know that. "We want to stop Mai."

"That is a very noble cause but one very difficult to reach for ones so young", Sugoroku said gently. "I can not stop you from trying but I would be more at ease if I could see what you can do."

"We'll give you a demonstration tomorrow", Yugi promised the man. "I have two other friends as well. Mana took them into a room since one of them is unconscious."

"Ah, of course", Sugoroku spoke suddenly, like Yugi's words had made him realize something. "You must all be very tired. It is not easy to travel all the way here. When Mana returns she can take you all into guest rooms to tuck in for the night."

"I am right here, Master Sugoroku", Mana's voice came suddenly and Yugi glanced around his grandfather to see the blond girl at the top of the stairs. "I would be more than happy to show these people to their rooms." The girl bowed in Sugoroku's direction before signalling for everyone to follow her. One by one Yugi's friends started to move to the staircase and there were some mumbled 'thank you's to Sugoroku as they passed. The only one who stayed back was Yami, who hung at the bottom of the stairs, looking at Yugi in a lost manner.

Turning to his grandfather Yugi spoke out: "Grandpa. This is Yami."

At the instant Yugi spoke the other boy's name Sugoroku had whirled around to study Yami with keen interest. It was clear that the human felt uncomfortable when the sprite moved right into his personal space but he was bearing it without a word. Yugi simply had to admire the other for his control.

"So…" Sugoroku uttered as he finally leaned back away from Yami. Still, the old man's eyes stayed on the human as he spoke: "So you are the human who stole my grandson's heart. You are not bothered by what he was born as, are you?"

"My love for your grandson rises above all physical aspects, such as age, gender or even species", Yami spoke without the slightest bit of hesitation and Yugi felt his face begin to burn. When his grandfather turned his eyes to Yugi the small boy swallowed before mumbling: "There is not much that I can add to that, other than that I feel exactly the same way towards Yami."

"Yes, very beautiful", Sugoroku spoke in an unreadable tone of voice. Suddenly the man gave a playful smile that made him look just like Yugi remembered him. "Still, even though I can not say anything against your feelings for each other, I will not have you two sleep in the same room together." He gave a glare to both Yugi and Yami then. "Understood?"

"Definitely", Yugi mumbled as Yami also spoke an affirmative.

"Alright", Sugoroku said and clapped his hands together. "Now it is time for you kids to go to bed. In separate rooms, of course."

"We already got it, grandpa", Yugi insisted as he took Yami's arm to lead the boy upstairs. They had not taken many steps up the staircase before Sugoroku's voice came from behind them: "After you have tucked your Yami in, come into my study. I still need to discuss something with you."

"Okay", Yugi replied instantly even though he felt hesitant. What was there still left to discuss? Other than Yugi's punishment for running away?

Yugi lead Yami all the way to the other side of the house, where Yugi's own room was positioned. He gave Yami the room opposite to his own and Pointed out his door for Yami just in case.

"Are you sure your grandfather won't throw me out into the night for coming even close to your door?" Yami questioned in a teasing manner and Yugi whacked his arm softly in payback.

"I was just trying to make sure you knew where I sleep in case of an emergency", Yugi replied. He then leaned back up to peck Yami on the lips. "I'll come by to tell you goodnight after my talk with grandpa."

"I'll be looking forward to it then", Yami replied with a goofy smile and a faraway look on his face. Yugi giggled softly before turning away from the taller boy and making his way to his grandfather's study. Sugoroku was probably already waiting for him and he did not want to displease the man. Yugi opened the door that had been left slightly ajar for him and entered.

"I take it Yami is in a room of his own", Sugoroku commented as soon as Yugi closed the office door behind himself. Yugi only nodded his head mutely and looked at his grandfather warily from beneath his bangs.

"Oh, don't be like that, Yugi", Sugoroku said with a bright laugh. "You're not in trouble."

Yugi finally dared to look up at the old man face to face and spoke out: "Then why did you want to talk to me alone?"

"Because you are my grandson, Yugi", Sugoroku said gently. "I've missed you and I wanted to make sure you are completely alright."

"I'm fine, grandpa", Yugi insisted quickly. "Yami has been very good for me and I've made many good friends in the human world. They all wanted to help fight Mai off and save Kirusae. That alone shows that they are good people."

"You have a point, Yugi", Sugoroku confessed with a nod of his head. "But you came into the village even though that was not really necessary for your mission. You still came back home even after becoming human. Are you having second thoughts, Yugi?"

"No, grandpa. It's nothing like that", Yugi said, shaking his head before smiling in remembrance of all his childhood memories. "It's just that, even though I love Yami there will always be a place in my heart for my family and home here."

Sugoroku smiled then and spoke in a tone of voice that Yugi dared to believe was proud: "I see you have matured a great deal in your absence." The old man then reached forward with his hand and ruffled Yugi's hair slightly. "This love of yours seems to have done you more good than harm. I may have been wrong back then."

Yugi looked at his grandpa with his eyes blurring with happy tears. He jumped at the old man and wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug. With a voice that almost broke in the middle of his words Yugi uttered weakly: "Thanks, grandpa."

&&&&&&&

Seto kept his eyes fixed on Jou's face the whole time the blond slept in bed. The brunet had even pulled a wooden chair from one corner of the room in order to have something sit in as he watched the blissful blond. When Jou finally began to stir Seto snapped back out of the trance-like state that he had been staring at Jou in.

The brown eyes settled on Seto immediately as Jou asked quietly: "W-where am I?"

"We're at Yugi's home", Seto replied in an equally silent tone of voice. "You collapsed so I carried you for the rest of the way here."

"Y-you did?" Jou questioned with a startled blink. When Seto nodded in response to the question the blond's cheeks flushed red from embarrassment. But the color faded soon enough as Jou sat up on the bed and suddenly looked absolutely miserable. Seto studied the blond curiously for a moment.

Jou had lowered his head so that his bangs were hiding his eyes as he mumbled barely audibly: "…Sorry…"

"For what?" Seto questioned, not really thinking that the blond could have anything to apologise for. Deep brown eyes stole a glance at Seto through the blond locks and Seto saw the blond's body become tense as he replied weakly: "For being just dead weight."

Feeling utterly scandalized at Jou's words Seto hissed his response a bit more viciously than he had intended: "You are not dead weight." When the brunet saw Jou's hands clench into tight fists he lowered his voice again. "You just need some time to recuperate." Seto paused for a moment, gathering his wits in order to stay calm for his next words. He would not show how much Jou's current state was affecting him. He managed to sound absolutely emotionless as he told the blond firmly: "I don't think you should participate in the fighting Jou."

The effect of Seto's words was instant. Jou's head snapped up as the brown eyes glared heatedly at the brunet. Jou's voice sounded a lot stronger when the blond bellowed angrily: "You're wrong!" Jou shook his head, as if he could deny Seto's words like that. "I can fight. I'm alright."

"No, Jou", Seto spoke in the most unmovable tone that he could manage. "You still haven't fully recovered. You should be taking it easy and not run around getting excited." Already expecting the next explosion Seto finished: "I'll team up with Otogi if Mai strikes before you're better."

"No!" Jou exclaimed furiously. "I can win for you!" There was a pleading look on the blond's face as he continued desperately: "I can do better."

"Stop it", Seto ordered firmly, pressing a hand to Jou's lips gently and briefly. The blond was blinking at him with bright eyes and was clearly fighting back tears as he uttered almost brokenly: "Don't leave me."

"And I won't", Seto assured the other, moving just his thumb over those amazingly soft lips. "You will have to understand this one thing, Jou. I won't trade you for another partner. Our magics make the perfect mix."

As Seto eyed Jou he could see that those tears causing the brown eyes to shimmer were now about to fall as the blond spoke out: "But, just now you said-"

"There are no buts", Seto cut Jou off calmly. "We fit, end of story."

"Y-you mean that?" Jou questioned incredulously and Seto realized that Jou had been fearing about being abandoned for a long time now. No wonder he had been faking to having recovered from his magical drain. Seto decided that it had been about time that he put those worries to rest, and perhaps it was also time to tell Jou how he felt. Then he could kiss the blond whenever he wanted no matter who saw, just like Yami and Yugi.

"Trust me. Jou", Seto told the blond. "I was only considering teaming up with Otogi as a temporary solution so that you can get your strength back. You should rest now." Jou only nodded mutely at him and Seto decided that this was the moment of truth, the perfect chance to tell Jou how much he meant for him.

Reaching out to grasp the blond's hand Seto uttered in low tone of voice: "Jou."

Jou's cheeks were once again red as the blond stuttered: "Ye-yes?"

Licking his suddenly dry lips Seto tried to keep his breathing even while meeting Jou's intense, expectant gaze. It was almost like the blond knew what he was about to say, or then he was desperate to hear it. Suddenly Seto became aware that he could not breathe at all. With a speedy jump out of the chair that left it clattering to the floor Seto grumbled quickly: "I got to go", and stormed through the bathroom door that was stationed in the left wall.

Not having realized how hard confessing could be Seto slammed the door shut behind him, wishing that he could do the same to his emotions. The brunet slipped down the door and sat on the bathroom floor, drawing his knees to his chin as he simply sat there silently. Through the wooden door he thought he could hear Jou sobbing but he was simply too frightened to go check on the blond.

&&&&&&&

"I think it's nice that we got a room together, don't you think?" Bakura offered Ryou from his position sitting down on one of the two beds in the room. Ryou thought it was odd, for beings that were not always affected by gravity sprites had really comfy beds. Well, they did have to sleep on a surface when they reached full age so why not make sure that surface was comfortable to sleep on?

Still, Ryou was not about to let those thoughts distract him from Bakura's question.

"No, I don't", the shorter sprite grunted in a miffed manner. "How am I supposed to sleep when I have to worry about you for the entire night?" Seriously, Bakura made him terribly nervous and it would be difficult to be around the other teen during the night when he could not see where he exactly was.

"It's not like I have touched you inappropriately before", Bakura shot back, getting defensive. "You can trust me, okay? I wouldn't jump you when you're not even awake to enjoy it."

"_Enjoy it?_" Ryou exclaimed in disbelief, feeling his face heat up in anger. "You perverted-"

"Just joking!" Bakura hurriedly exclaimed. "I just…I have a habit of talking suggestively." An embarrassed slush appeared on the taller teen's face. "I'm sorry."

Ryou was actually silenced by the unexpected apology and the sweet sight of a blushing Bakura, a smile that was a mix of amusement and affection spreading on the fairer boy's face. When Ryou did not answer for a while Bakura glanced up briefly and Ryou heard his breath hitch suddenly, like he had seen something breath-taking. Ryou simply continued to smile at the other teen even as he felt his own cheeks begin to burn.

"Ryou…" Bakura spoke softly, quickly gaining Ryou's complete attention once more. "Ryou…we haven't really kissed even once, have we?"

The question had Ryou thinking about the matter. It was true that the time Ryou had pecked Bakura's cheek in gratitude had been the action that had marked the change in their relationship. Still, the two had simply drifted closer to each other and it was a common decision that they were now a couple. But the two of them had not really kissed, no. There had been more small pecks on cheeks and foreheads and the occasional hug.

Shaking his head, Ryou answered quietly: "No, we haven't?"

"Would you mind it if I did it now?" Bakura asked and Ryou actually thought Bakura looked more alive than ever before at that moment. The taller albino had a faint flush on his entire face and his eyes shone with anticipation that Ryou could also feel gripping at his own gut. Bakura stepped closer to his counterpart and questioned in a breathless whisper: "May I kiss you now, Ryou?"

Taking a shivering breath Ryou closed his eyes for a short moment before opening them again to look at Bakura's expectant expression. The shorter teen swallowed slowly before whispering: "Yes, Bakura, you may." The sentence was not the most eloquent one that Ryou had uttered during his life but at this moment the only thing that mattered was the two of them, not how brilliant their lines were.

Bakura reached out and grasped Ryou's arms gently before leaning in and pressing their foreheads together. They both stood there unmoving for a moment before Bakura broke it by saying: "You're shaking. Are you cold?"

"No", Ryou replied in a quiet manner. "I'm not cold at all." He focused briefly on the feel of Bakura's hands on him. "You're shivering yourself."

"Damn nerves…" Bakura muttered with a humourless chuckle. "Damn it, I've gone all the way with so many people that meant nothing and now I'm scared of first place."

There was no malice visible on Bakura's face, despite the cussing, and Ryou allowed himself to relax before speaking: "Does that mean that I'm different? That I mean something to you?"

"Hell yes", Bakura grunted out before covering Ryou's lips with his own.

Ryou felt dizzy, there was not other way of describing the feeling the boy was overcome with. The instant Bakura's lips had claimed his, the shorter boy had been aware of nothing else but the kiss going on. Bakura was being gentle with him, kissing him slowly and tenderly. The caress of flesh against flesh was loving and the final proof that Bakura did have a softer side. And that side seemed to be for Ryou alone, and the small boy felt himself get uncharacteristically selfish as he decided that he would not have things any other way.

Unsurely, but certainly not unwillingly, Ryou responded to the kiss.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Sorry about the heart-wrenching SetoJou angst and I hope the BakuraxRyou fluffiness makes up for it.


	27. Graveyard

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 27**

**Graveyard**

The next morning was one of the worst ones of Jou's life so far. The blond had not managed to fall asleep at all the previous night, but had rather slipped into unconsciousness during the last hours before sunrise.

Jou had been unable to do anything but lie still in bed and pretend to be asleep so that he would not have to face Seto in his heartbroken state. The brunet had to know how Jou felt about him, he had made it rather obvious with his behaviour the previous night. And still Seto had done nothing but brushed him off to go hide in the bathroom. Jou did not know how he was supposed to take that. Had that been a rejection or was Seto trying to tell him that he needed some space to think? Whichever it was, Jou had a feeling that he was not going to be getting a dream romance like the one Yugi and Yami had.

Rolling over in bed to glance at the bed on the other side of the room Jou noticed it to be empty and neatly made. Seto was already up then, had probably been for a long while now. The blond decided that he should probably drag himself out of bed as well and did just that before sauntering off into the bathroom, avoiding strictly looking at his reflection. He did not need to see himself to know he looked like death warmed over, which was no wonder. The blond actually felt like he was dead.

&&&&&&&

"But why can't I go?" Yugi questioned with a whine. "I have magic too!"

"Next time, Yugi", Sugoroku spoke firmly from the other side of the dining table. "I can't observe all of your skills and instruct you at once. I will check half of the powers of your group today and the rest tomorrow."

"Fine", Yugi grumbled, knowing that there was no sense in arguing when his grandfather had such a good explanation. He had been looking forward to showing the village to Yami and spending the day with the other teen but now all that was ruined by his grandfather's interference. The old man had decided to take Yami, Seto, Ryou and Bakura into the forest to inspect their magic. Tomorrow he would be taking Yugi, Jou, Otogi and Marik. Sugoroku knew very well what kind of magic Hiroto and Malik had, since he had trained the two at one point but Yugi's magic had gone through some changes after he had turned into a human so he needed to be re-evaluated.

Currently the group was sitting in the dining room having breakfast. Everyone but Jou, Malik, Marik, Hiroto and Otogi were present. Yugi had no idea where the two blond sprites had disappeared to but Jou was still in bed and Otogi and Hiroto had only left a little while ago, the brunet telling Sugoroku that he was going to go check on his parents and older sister and then show Otogi around the town. Hiroto was extremely fascinated by humans now that he had gotten to see them up close and probably had a lot of questions for them. And for some reason Otogi seemed to be more than willing to answer each an every one of those questions.

There was some clatter when Sugoroku stood up and looked around the crowd before speaking out: "It's seems that everyone is done with breakfast. How about we get this thing done so that we will be back within a reasonable hour?"

Some affirming murmurs replied to the old man as the assigned group for today also stood up. Sugoroku looked at Yugi's forlorn face and said in a comforting manner: "We will be back a couple of hours before sundown so you will have plenty of time to show Yami around after that."

Yugi nodded his head in response to that and got a small peck on his forehead from Yami as the taller teen spoke: "I'll be looking forward to then, okay?" Then the crimson-eyed youth winked, causing Yugi to blush bright red. Once again their sweet moment was interrupted by no other than Seto, who commanded fiercely: "Make sure Jou takes it easy today. I don't want to come back only to find him dead."

"Aw, the big bad Kaiba is worried about his little Jou", Bakura drawled in a fake-coo. "Now isn't that just precious?"

"Silence, imbecile", Seto shot back at the albino. Any future argument was cut off when Sugoroku walked past the group towards the door that lead out of the dining room and into the front hall. Yami and Ryou hurried to follow after the man, the latter dragging Bakura along as well. Seto was able to catch up with the group by simply taking a couple of longer steps. And then they disappeared, leaving Yugi alone at the table.

When he heard the front door close Yugi released a soft sigh and decided that there was no point in him staying there alone when he had already eaten and got up. Yugi walked out of the dining room and into the entrance hall.

Fully expecting for the hall to be empty, Yugi was thoroughly startled when there was actually someone sitting on the bottom steps of the staircase. He jumped a couple of feet away from the blond as he exclaimed breathlessly: "Marik! What are you doing here?" He glanced around and, since he saw no sign of Malik, added: "All alone even?"

Marik shrugged dismissively as he mumbled in a manner that indicated that he was pretending that he did not care about the matter at all: "Malik went to visit his brother and didn't bring me along." The deep eyes focused on Yugi without mercy. "Would you wish to entertain me until he returns?"

Yugi, not liking his idea on Marik's possible views on entertainment, shook his head quickly and hurried to speak, in an effort to sound polite: "I'm really sorry, but I'm rather busy at the moment."

A brief, deep chuckle was the boy's answer and Yugi shivered at the dark sound. He still could not understand how Marik could act so differently towards him and Malik. It was like Marik changed personalities when he was with the other blond and Yugi wondered which of the two was the wolf sprite's true nature.

"Are you afraid of me, little Yugi?" Marik spoke in a low tone of voice, the sinister undertone that had accompanied his laugh present in the single question. Yugi knew he was shaking like a leaf but still tried to stand strong as he denied: "I'm not afraid!"

There was another chuckle, also deep, from Marik before the wolf stood up from the stair he was sitting on. The dark eyes looked right into Yugi's own and the former sprite felt his inside churn with an icy feeling of dread.

"If you aren't afraid, then why not walk outside with me for a bit?" Marik questioned and Yugi glanced away from the taller teen's eyes. He could not stand looking into Marik's deep eyes. He wished Malik were here, then Marik would be a lot less frightening.

"I…I…" Yugi uttered, unable to come up with a suitable excuse under the pressure Marik was placing on him. Fortunately he was spared from answering when a cheery voice joined in to the conversation: "I think Yugi just wants to spend some time getting used to being home again, if you catch my drift."

Surprised and relieved because of the interruption Yugi glanced up to see Jou descending the stairs. The blond was grinning widely but his pale complexion hinted on his sickly state. Yugi knew for a fact that Seto would not be happy to see the blond out of bed, especially with those dark, nearly black, circles underneath his eyes.

"Jou, you should be resting", Yugi told the tall human, who merely laughed good-naturedly before saying: "And I think you don't have room in your schedule for a walk with Marik here." The blond leaped down the last couple of steps and for a moment Yugi was sure that he would fall when he wobbled slightly before regaining his balance. The blond regained his composure quickly, though, and spoke with conviction: "I, however, do have some spare time." Jou turned his look towards Marik then. "If it's okay with you, Marik?"

"I couldn't really care less as long as I get out of this house", Marik replied dismissively before making his way to the front door, opening it a fraction. Jou moved to follow the taller blond but Yugi grasped onto his arm to stop him.

"Watch out, Jou", Yugi advised the blond. "I'm not sure if Marik can be fully trusted." Jou did not know Marik, not the one Yugi had met before the wolf had settled his eyes on Malik. The human might end up in serious trouble if he was not careful.

"It'll be okay", Jou said in his typical happy manner. "Marik is a friend of yours, right?"

"Well, not exactly…" Yugi mumbled embarrassedly. "He just invited himself into our group after he started to fancy Malik."

"Still, even if he proves to be untrustworthy, I know some pretty potent magic", Jou spoke carelessly. "I'm sure a few fireballs will keep him at bay."

"But Jou", Yugi insisted worriedly. "Are you sure you should be using magic in your state?"

"What state?" Jou questioned in an angered tone of voice, clearly sensitive about the subject. "I may have been a bit tired but I'm okay now. A single spell in case of emergency won't hurt." And with that the blond marched off to join Marik.

A soft sigh escaped from Yugi. Jou had not looked okay to him at all and now the blond was out of the house with a possibly hostile sprite. It was true that Marik was thoroughly infatuated with Malik but the wolf was not exactly friends with any of them. Still, Yugi was pretty sure that he was exaggerating with his fears. At least, he hoped that he was exaggerating.

&&&&&&&

Marik actually found himself liking Kirusae a great deal. The sprite village bustled with activity, but not overly much so. There were not many adults out at that time but there were many children floating about playing tag and other games with each other. It all reminded Marik of the childhood he had lost but seeing those children eased the pain somewhat.

"Hey, Marik", the human, Jou spoke out from his side. Marik reluctantly turned his eyes away from the playing children to focus on the human walking beside him. Marik had chosen to walk along with the other blond and not levitate, since there was really no point in it now that everyone knew that he was capable of both.

When Jou noticed Marik looking at him he finally continued to speak: "I was wondering if you could stop calling me a dog? It gets to Seto and I'm not too happy about it either."

"But that same human calls you 'puppy' all the time", Marik pointed out. "And you smell-"

"I know what you smell, okay?" the human grumbled. "The thing is that you aren't Seto. When Seto says it it's-"

"It's different when it's him", Marik finished for the human, shooting him a sharp-toothed grin. "You're pretty smart for a human."

"What?" Jou questioned, blinking at the wolf sprite in a startled manner. Marik's grin softened into a smile, he always smiled when he thought about Malik, and the sprite began to speak: "When we're in love, we wish to show our feelings to our special someone. Because of that we treat them differently from others. We even do things that we normally wouldn't, simply because we want to. None of our pride or masks matters when it comes to our special person. Nothing seems to matter when it's for them." Trailing off after that Marik noticed that they had walked outside the cluster of wood houses and the two blonds gazed silently at the sight before them.

A large field spread out before them, filled with carefully carved stones that each had a shimmering light shining on them. The color of these soft these lights varied in various different shades and Marik guessed they must have been shards of solid magic. He had certainly seen enough of their glow in all of Mai's necklaces.

The silence was broken by Jou, who uttered a question: "What is this place?"

Turning towards the human Marik gave a straightforward answer, in opposition to his previous rant: "It's a graveyard, of course."

"A graveyard…" the human muttered as he observed the graves in awe. "Amazing."  
"Yeah, just think of all the rotting corpses buried underneath the soil", Marik said with a wide smirk spreading on his face.  
"That's not what I meant", Jou shot back with a frown settled on his face. Marik could not really care less. This conversation was a lot more boring than their previous one and the wolf sprite could not find it within himself to participate in it properly.

"Whatever", he muttered and allowed his gaze to drift to the village that was now behind them. His eyes fell on a familiar pale blond head. He looked at the person more closely and noticed the fox features the boy in question had. The wolf sprite smiled to himself.

"Marik?" Jou's voice questioned then. "What's up?"  
Turning his head towards the human Marik flashed him another smirk before replying: "I just found something more interesting than this walk."

Jou looked around and apparently also noticed Malik, since after a while he spoke out slowly: "I see."

Marik flashed his teeth at the human before speaking cheerfully: "And now I'm off to see Malik. Then I won't be bored anymore." And with that he dashed off, leaving Jou to watch the graveyard by himself. The blond could be depressing all he wanted but the fact that Marik was okay with it did not mean that he was about to join in.

"Malik!" Marik called excitedly as he waved at the fox sprite. Malik did actually stop to look at him and that gave Marik the chance he needed to reach the other blond. Grinning happily at the shorter teen Marik decided that all his pride could go out the window for the beautiful young sprite that was before him. For a little while he would care about nothing else except Malik.

&&&&&&&

When Yugi noticed the grey clouds looming at the village from the sky, Yugi instantly knew that it was going to rain. The little boy rushed to the door and out of the house, determined to find Jou before the rain began to fall. It would not do for the blond to get sick when Seto had told Yugi to keep an eye on him, not to mention Yugi was personally worried for Jou's well being.

Yugi questioned the townspeople he ran into about whether or not they had seen a blond-haired human. Soon enough Yugi's search led him towards the direction of the graveyard and as soon as there were no more houses blocking his view of the field of death he saw a familiar blond figure standing at the edge of the area. And it was right then that the first droplet of rain fell on Yugi's skin.

Hurrying over to the blond Yugi called the other's name: "Jou! Jou, what are you doing here?" He came to a stop next to the blond and a pair of exhausted brown eyes turned their drowsy gaze to him.

Slowly a lazy smile made its way on Jou's face and the blond spoke: "Hello, Yugi." Then he turned his gaze back to the sea of graves. "You have a beautiful village."

"Jou…" Yugi started carefully, even as rain started to finally fall at a steady pace. "This is a cemetery."

There was a mute nod from Jou, a clear sign that the blond was out of it, and then the teen spoke out: "I know. Even here it's beautiful."

Wondering if Jou even noticed that they were getting soaked from the rain Yugi reached out and grasped Jou's arm gently, speaking like he would to a sick person: "Come on Jou, let's get you back inside. It's raining."

"Oh, so it is", the blond mumbled then and turned to give Yugi a friendly smile. "Let's get going then, Yugi. We can't have you catching anything."

"Actually, it's you who I am worried about", Yugi started but trailed off quickly when he remembered how testy Jou got when someone even suggested that he was incapable of taking care of himself. It would be better if they simply walked in silence and as they did just that, Yugi hoped that Sugoroku's group had not gotten back to the house while he had been looking for Jou. Hopefully they had not noticed the approaching rain.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: I have an important message to give: I will be having my matriculation exams coming up and they're really important if I'm planning to get into university. Which I am. Unfortunately this means that updates will be coming slower, or maybe even comepletely stop for the next couple of months. I am dedicated to my stories, but my schooling is lightly more imporant, even if studying isn't as much fun as writing. So, I will update as frequently as I can, even if it isn't all that frequently anymore.


	28. Delirious

Author's Notes: In this chapter I will be calling Otogi Ryuuji, since Ryuuji is his first name and I will be using his POV here.

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 28**

**Delirious**

Unfortunately, Yugi's hoping seemed to have no effect, since when they began nearing the Mutou mansion, the familiar tall form of Seto began striding towards them in a threatening manner. Yugi instantly felt nervous but Jou spread out his arms, like he was expecting a hug, and cheered: "Seto!"

"Damn it, Jou! What part of 'rest' do you not understand?" Seto snarled angrily as he gripped one of the blond's wrists and began dragging him into the house. "I swear. You're asleep on your feet."

"Am not!" Jou argued, rather futilely since Seto did not pay his words any mind in his haste to get Jou back in bed where he belonged. Yugi decided that the blond would be fine from now on and followed the two inside the house, where he instantly settled his eyes on Yami, who had clearly been waiting for him.

"Yami", Yugi cheered as he hugged the taller teen close. He jumped back quickly, however, realizing a bit too late that he was wet and now he had gotten Yami wet as well.

"Sorry", Yugi mumbled in an embarrassed manner but Yami waved it off. The crimson-eyed teen ran a hand through Yugi's wet hair before commenting: "A hug from you is worth getting wet over, Yugi-dear."

"You're such a charmer", Yugi giggled and shoved Yami's chest slightly. Then the boy got serious again as he glanced at the floor, which had small puddles on it from both him and Jou dripping on it. "I should get myself dried up." He glanced at Yami again, noticing that the other boy showed no signs of even having been wet. "How long have you been back?"

"Quite some time, actually", Yami confessed. "Ryou's really sensitive to his element so he knew that it was going to rain and we made it back just as the rain started."

Yugi nodded his head in understanding and then sighed in disappointment before grumbling: "How come did it have to rain? Now I can't show you around."

"I'm sure we will get a chance for that later", Yami assured the former sprite before taking a hold of his hand. "Come on now. You need to change your clothes." With that the taller boy began leading Yugi up the steps. They were almost at the top when Sugoroku's voice called from the first floor: "You'd better stay out of Yugi's room while he changes, Yami."

Yugi whirled around instantly, shooting his grandfather a dirty look as he shouted: "Grandpa!" The response he got was a loud laugh accompanied by an amused: "Sorry, sorry. I just couldn't resist."

It was with an angry blush on his face that Yugi squeezed Yami's hand a bit tighter as he yanked the taller teen along with him down the hall. Why did his grandfather have to be so infuriatingly embarrassing? Was this some kind of a subtle punishment for running away the way he did? If so, then it was a lot more effective than traditional grounding.

There was a laugh from Yami when Yugi arrived at their rooms. The former sprite had almost led the crimson-eyed youth into his room when Yami had stopped, causing Yugi's progress to halt as well. Yugi turned his questioning gaze at the other teen and Yami had responded: "Remember what your grandfather told us? I'm not allowed in your room."

"Who care what grandfather said?" Yugi snapped with an embarrassed huff. "You should come in anyway and we could make out on my bed half-dressed just to spite him."

"Hmm, that sounds wonderful", Yami spoke out and Yugi giggled at the goofy far-away look on his love's face. Instantly the face turned into a hopeful one as Yami whispered hoarsely: "Do you really think we could?"

"Yami!" Yugi hissed, unable to fight back his giggles at his boyfriend's behaviour. "I was just kidding! Grandpa would roast you if he found you in my room, even more so if he finds you in my bed."

"We could go into my room", Yami suggested then, raising his eyebrows questioningly. Yugi smiled at the taller boy's antics as he replied: "Not that your offer isn't tempting, Yami, but I really don't think grandpa will look very kindly at that either."

"Let's lock the door so that he can't see", Yami spoke and grinned manically. "Who knows what we could get away with?"

"Yami, stop it", Yugi ordered the taller teen, who instantly closed his mouth. Releasing a sigh the amethyst-eyed boy spoke out: "I know you're only half-joking Yami and I have to say that I know how you feel." Yugi focused a stern gaze at Yami. "But we should really keep those feelings to ourselves, since grandpa might not share our sense of humour."

"Right", Yami grumbled with a sigh. "I'll behave myself, even though I wish to ravish you on this very second."

"You're hopeless", Yugi spoke fondly to his boyfriend before standing up on tiptoe to land a soft kiss on the other's lips. Then he smiled in the most teasing of ways at the dazed teen as he winked and cheered: "I'll go change my clothes now. See you!" And with that Yugi disappeared into his room, giggling when he heard the soft thump caused by Yami walking right into his door in a subconscious attempt to follow him.

&&&&&&&

Hiroto's family consisted only of an older sister, who had been married to one of the youths of the village the previous spring. The young woman's name was Hitomi, which made Ryuuji wonder if Hiroto's parents lacked in imagination.

When Hiroto had taken the raven-haired teen with him when he went to greet his sister, Ryuuji had expected to witness Hiroto getting an earful from his sister or even a tearful reunion between siblings. But the woman had greeted Hiroto like he had been out of down to do some shopping and had then immediately afterwards directed her attention on Ryuuji.

"Oh, so this is what you have been doing, hmm?" Hitomi questioned from Hiroto as she circled Ryuuji like a hawk. "So you went and got yourself a lover? He is definitely one to look at, certainly…"

Even though Ryuuji was used to girl hounding on him and staring at him, they had always been simple fan girls with a crush on him. This was a grown woman who seemed to have no romantic interest in him, but was merely studying him like a piece of meat or an ornament.

"Hitomi!" came Hiroto's outrageous shout and the woman instantly stopped her staring of Ryuuji to focus her gaze back on her brother. "Otogi is definitely not my lover! He's my friend. We met each other while I was helping Yugi."

"Right, that little mission of yours", Hitomi spoke out in realization before questioning curiously: "Did you find the little one then?"

"Yea, he's safe and sound", Hiroto replied. "He brought a bunch of his new friends with him. Something big is about to happen." The last part was said in a conspiring whisper. Hitomi's answer also came out in a whisper: "Will there be a fight?"

"Definitely", Hiroto spoke and Ryuuji wondered why the brunet sounded so excited. He soon realized why when Hitomi clapped her hands together enthusiastically, her long brown tail swishing behind her. Hitomi looked a lot like Hiroto actually, now that Ryuuji looked at her. Her features were simply softer and a lot more feminine.

"Don't worry, brother", Hitomi spoke out as she lifted her hand out in a swear. "I won't tell a soul about what you just told me."

"Thank you, Hitomi", Hiroto said with a smile at the woman before turning his eyes to Ryuuji. "Would you like to see my room, Otogi?"

"Sure", Ryuuji replied, not really wanting to spend more time with hyper female-Hiroto. When Hiroto started leading him further into the house Hitomi called after them: "Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Hiroto! No, scratch that, don't do anything you shouldn't do before marriage!"

Ryuuji saw Hiroto flinch beside him as they continued on and offered supportively: "Your sister is a very lively person."

"Yea", Hiroto replied in a strained tone of voice and Ryuuji found himself stuck staring at the slight embarrassed blush on the sprite's cheeks. The brunet looked very uncomfortable for some reason and he did not speak a word to Ryuuji until the two had gotten inside his room.

The room was rather simple, with only a bed, a desk and a closet. There were no chairs in the room but Ryuuji knew them to be pointless to Hiroto, who was still an underage sprite and could not really sit on them. Actually, even the bed was not really needed but Ryuuji guessed it was there for Hiroto's eighteenth birthday. Because even though Ryuuji had limited knowledge of sprites, he could very well guess that it would not be very amusing to wake up one morning on the floor and not have a bed to climb into to continue your sleep.

Even though the room was rather bare, Ryuuji found himself feeling at home there. The walls had been painted a gentle creamy color and a reddish brown carpet that covered the entire floor gave the room a warm, cosy feeling.

"It's really nice in here", Ryuuji confessed as he allowed a sincere, content smile spread on his face. Hiroto was watching him with his head tilted to the side and blushed with pleasure at the compliment as he replied: "Thanks."

There was a moment of silence as Hiroto hovered a bit closer to Ryuuji, and then the brunet murmured in an apologetic tone of voice: "I'm really sorry about my sister. She thinks it's good to… settle down early." That last part was spoken with rather thick distaste and Ryuuji smiled at the brunet carelessly before answering: "It's okay, really. I don't mind."

"You don't mind being thought of as my lover?" Hiroto questioned incredulously with a doubtful look on his face. The brunet turned his face away from Ryuuji's own as he huffed: "You can't really mean that."

"Let me be the judge of that, won't you?" Ryuuji said without forgetting any of his confident bravado from his voice. "I definitely would not mind being thought of as your lover."

When Hiroto's deep brown eyes turned to Ryuuji's own bright green ones, Ryuuji twirled some of his dark locks around his finger as he lowered his eyelashes in what all of his fan girls thought to be a flirtatious manner. Hiroto did not seem to be fazed, though, so the raven-haired teen merely sighed and stepped right up to the brunet to make sure his intentions were clear and spoke out: "I wouldn't mind** being** your lover either."

Hiroto was not really on the stupid side, Ryuuji did know that, but the brunet was revealed to be rather slow when it took him a few seconds before his eyes widened in realization and he breathed out slowly: "Oh."

&&&&&&&

"Seto!" Jou whined as the brunet in question messed up his hair with a towel. "I can do that myself! Ow!" The blond slapped at Seto's arm. "Stop yanking so hard!"

"You should have been resting", Seto spoke sternly back, letting anger overrun his worry for the boy in front of him. "I thought you had more sense than that. Just how stupid can you get?" The brunet pulled the towel away from the blond to reveal a mop of tousled blond hair and a face red from anger and humiliation. Seto was not feeling very merciful towards the other teen, however, and so he ordered rather coldly: "Strip."

"What?" Jou exclaimed, his cheeks reddening even more. "Why would I have to strip?"

"You're changing out of those wet clothes, that's why", Seto snapped at the blond. "Now let's get busy."

There was a long pause, during which Jou did not make a single move. Just when Seto was about to snap at the blond to hurry it up Jou muttered quietly: "Do you have to stand there watching?"

"I suppose not", Seto grumbled back before turning his back to the blond and feeling rather disappointed, like he was getting cheated out of something. Seto's mind went right to the gutter then, pointing out to Seto exactly what he was being cheated out of. Suddenly the brunet was glad that he had his back to the blond; it would not do for anyone to see him blushing.

There were soft scuffling sounds from behind Seto and the brunet could not stop thinking how Jou was most likely sliding his shirt off his beautiful chest. He had seen the blond shirtless before and it had definitely not been an unpleasant sight. Seto was struck with the sudden urge to simply turn around and stare at the blond's revealed skin to his heart's content. The thing known as tact went straight out the window as Seto slowly turned his head to the side to see the blond.

Jou was sliding his pants off. That was the first and last thing Seto noticed before his attention was completely stolen away when the blond's chest and stomach were revealed to him, along with a growing portion of the shorter teen's legs.

At that moment Seto was unable to control himself and an instant later his hands were on that smooth skin he so desired. There was a startled yelp from Jou when Seto caught him from around the waist and pulled the blond's still wet body against his larger frame. As Seto ran his fingers from the blond's stomach and up his chest he was startled to notice just how cold Jou was at that moment.

Seto sprawled one of his hands over the blond's chest and another one he laid back on the shorter teen's stomach. He brought his mouth right next to Jou's ear as he spoke out quietly: "Are you cold, puppy?"

Right on cue Jou shivered in his grasp, a moment before the blond mumbled: "Freezing."

"Well, we can't have that, can we?" Seto questioned as he began to move towards his bed, dragging Jou along with him. The blond was completely helpless to resist the brunet's strength and allowed Seto to bring him to the bed and lay him down on it after the brunet had kicked the blanket out of the way.

As Seto watched Jou shiver helplessly he paid little mind to how his bed sheets were getting wet from the contact with Jou's skin. That was actually the last thought in his mind. The brunet cared much more about the vulnerable way Jou was lying down in only his boxers with his brown eyes gazing into Seto's blue ones with curiosity.

The blond was definitely a virgin, Seto decided as he climbed on the bed as well, lying down on top of Jou. The blond shivered again and Seto sat up on his knees, straddling Jou's hips as he did so. The brunet removed his shirt in haste before lying down again. Glancing at Jou's face he saw that the blond's eyes were heavily lidded, and wondered if the blond was being so compliant with him because he was delirious from the cold.

Worrying once more about the shorter teen Seto grabbed the blanket he had tossed aside previously and brought it around him and Jou before pulling the blond into his chest again. The smaller teen instantly huddled closer to Seto, basking in the warmth the brunet's body provided. Seto decided that he would not really mind just laying down like this with Jou when he suddenly felt something wet run along his collarbone.

It did not take Seto a long time to deduce that the warm thing running up his neck was Jou's tongue. But after that realization Seto's thought processes slowed down considerably as Jou continued to lick his neck with quick movements, like he was lapping at Seto's skin and not actually licking it.

The tongue ran up the side of Seto's neck and it was with great willpower that Seto kept his breathing even as Jou moved upwards, licking Seto's temple right beside his ear. It was such a sensual feeling to lie down with Jou half dressed while the blond licked his skin, not to mention extremely arousing.

Moving incredibly quickly for being so dazed, Seto brought his hands underneath Jou and squeezed the blond's boxer-clad behind while he grinded his hips against Jou's own. The effect those actions had on Jou was instant.

Seto did not see the fist coming before it had rammed itself into his cheek. It was with a startled and pained yelp that Seto pulled way from the body beneath him, sitting up to stare at Jou's angry face in confusion.

"Get off me, you damn rapist!" Jou exclaimed with raging anger before slamming a fist to Seto's chest with bruising strength. While Seto was still rather stunned by the unexpectedness of the assault Jou pulled one of his legs out from beneath Seto, enough to knee the brunet in the crotch. That pain was what finally clued Seto in on the fact that Jou had actually been delirious from the cold.

The moment Seto rolled off of him Jou jumped out of the bed and rushed to the corner farthest away from Seto. The brunet stared at Jou and saw that beneath all the blond's anger, there was pure, unadulterated fear in those brown eyes that stared back at him.

As Seto thought about the best way to apologise to the blond he decided that he was glad that the blond had not managed to ram his knee into him any harder than he had. The hit had actually been rather mild, something Seto was extremely glad for. Seto still needed to apologise to Jou, the brunet knew this, but right at that moment the more important matter was to wait until the pain subsided and he would not sound like a female when he tried to speak.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: At first I will inform all of my readers that I am still busy with schoolwork so I don't know when the next chapter will be up.

On a different note, I will be posting a valentines special for Valentines Day. It will be called: "If You Want Him, Stalk Him" and the main characters are going to be Yami and Seto and here's a brief summary: Seto challenges Yami in the Domino High's Valentines Challenge to find the perfect presents for Jou and Yugi. It sounds simple enough but unfortunately neither Seto nor Yami know much about being romantic.

And, just in case you completely ignored the author's note in the beginning of the chapter, Ryuuji is Otogi's first name.


	29. Rainy Day

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 29**

**Rainy Day**

It had been a real shocker for Jou to find himself underneath Seto on a bed, especially while being almost naked. After making his escape from the frightening situation Jou had pressed himself against the wall in the corner where sat curled up and eyed Seto suspiciously. The brunet was meeting his gaze with an unreadable look but Jou could very well guess that the brunet was still recovering from Jou's attempts at self-defence.

The most frightening thing about it all was that Jou could not remember how he had ended up in bed with Seto. He remembered that morning, how he had been so very tired and depressed but had forced himself out of bed anyway. He remembered the walk and talk he had had with Marik. The blond also remembered the graveyard and Yugi. It had been raining, had it not? The blond frowned to himself as he struggled to remember what had happened after Yugi had come for him. Jou could only recall being wet and that Seto had been messing up his hair with a towel. After that there was a long blank spot, after which Jou had found himself feeling just how well-formed Seto was underneath his clothes.

That last thought brought a blush to Jou's cheeks but he could not really deny having wondered about Seto's package occasionally. Now he certainly knew that Seto had nothing to be ashamed of and Jou had nothing to be disappointed for, except his own reaction that had stopped the thing from progressing.

"Jou", Seto's voice croaked suddenly and Jou lifted his eyes to Seto's own once more. The brunet seemed to be starting to feel better, which diminished Jou's feeling of guilt somewhat as Seto spoke out: "I have to explain."

"Sure, go right ahead", Jou said with a nod. He was actually pretty curious about what had happened. "Just as long as you stay where you are." Even though Jou was curious, that did not make him stupid.

There was a humourless chuckle from Seto before the brunet grumbled: "I'm not going anywhere in the next few minutes, trust me."

And there was that guilt all over again. Worrying his bottom lip Jou began to creep across the floor slowly. Seto watched the blond's progress slowly and Jou finally stopped in front of the brunet, sitting on the floor beside the bed on his knees. The blond focused on Seto entirely then, trying to forget all about the cold shivers that were running up and down his body. As soon as the brunet was done Jou would go get himself a shirt.

"I apologise for my actions", Seto spoke out and Jou almost missed the rest of the brunet's words in his shock at hearing the brunet apologise. "I should have taken into account the possibility that might not have had complete presence of mind. I misread the situation and it's not a mistake I will repeat."

"Uh…" Jou started rather uncertainly. Finally the blond managed to nod and mutter: "Okay."

"These past few days have been rather stressful, don't you think?" Seto questioned then and Jou flushed hotly when he was startled. It was with guilty eyes that Jou directed his gaze to the angry red bruise on the side of Seto's face. Fortunately it did not look like it was going to turn an angry shade of blue. Jou had not managed a strong enough blow for that, but it still looked painful.

"Yeah…" Jou replied absently as he reached out to touch his fingers to the injury gently. "I'm sorry about hitting you."

Seto's eyes were incredibly gentle as they locked with Jou's own. The blond then realized that Seto did care; it was all there in that look. The smooth curve of the eyebrows and the slight smile adorning the thin lips all revealed this to Jou. The realization brought a happy smile on Jou's face as he caressed the side of Seto's face before standing up and heading to his backpack for his pyjamas. He ignored the feeling of Seto's eyes on his back and backside as he pulled on a pair of pants and then put on his shirt as well.

"So you're finally going to do the smart thing?" Seto questioned from his spot on his own bed as Jou crawled on top of his own. Jou simply nodded his head before pulling the blanket over himself and burying himself in its warmth. The blond closed his eyes, but could still feel Seto's gaze on him.

The other cared. That was so much more than what Jou had been hoping for. Seto did not simply tolerate him; the brunet liked him and cared about him. It also seemed that the brunet was interested in him physically. That last bit had been a surprise and Jou wondered what he might have done when he had been unawares. Jou did not think he had told Seto anything about his feelings, because then the brunet would not be able to brush the matter aside so easily. It was very possible that Jou had showed some sort of interest and Seto had responded to his advances. The brunet had said that he had misread the situation, after all. For Seto to claim that Jou could not have spoken much. And with that thought Jou grew worried. He really hoped that he had not went and kissed Seto, because that would have been his first kiss with the brunet and it would be a real drag to not be able to remember it.

Jou knew that the only way he could really find out about the kiss would be to ask Seto about it. But if Jou went and did that, then Seto would probably realize that Jou was after more than just physical interest.

It was so frustrating, not knowing what to do. Everything would be so much easier if he just told Seto how he felt. Maybe there was a chance that Seto felt the same.

That thought was stopped right there by Jou himself. Things would never be that simple between him and Seto. Because even though the brunet might want him that did not mean that he was loved by the taller teen. Not to mention that Seto's want for him would probably wither away and die the instant Jou was completely honest with the brunet, and Jou would not lie to the one he had given his heart to.

Tomorrow, Jou finally decided. Tomorrow he would tell Seto everything. Not about his feelings, no, he would not allow himself to be hurt any more than he had to. The blond had a different secret entirely to reveal to Seto and the time of truth would come tomorrow. Jou was simply too tired to care about that today.

Just when Jou finally drifted off to sleep, Seto got up from bed and strolled out of the room after pulling a fresh shirt on.

&&&&&&&

As Seto sat opposite to Otogi at the kitchen table, the brunet could not help but think that this was nothing like what he had had in mind to do after leaving Jou sleeping peacefully in their room. Seto had been planning on getting some ice to his aching head, Jou had hit him hard, and perhaps drink some calming tea. All those plans had come crashing down, however, when he had run into a miserable Otogi in the kitchen, who was greedily gulping down tea made by Mana.

When the raven-haired youth had lifted his gaze to Seto there had been a desperate plea in those eyes, but such things had no effect on Seto's icy heart. No, the brunet sat down simply because the tea looked so tempting.

Both teens drank their tea in silence, Seto watching Otogi while Otogi kept his gaze fixed on the tabletop. Just when Seto was starting to think with relief that perhaps the raven-haired teen had simply wanted company, Otogi finally spoke out: "I told Hiroto I wanted to be his lover."

The slight rising of his left eyebrow was the only indication Seto gave to being surprised. It was with a completely toneless drawl that he spoke: "Well, that certainly was subtle."

"The mood seemed just right for it!" Otogi cried on defensively, hunching his shoulders as he engaged in the manly activity of brooding. Not about to let the raven-haired boy wallow in self-pity, he'd had enough of that with Yami, Seto questioned: "What happened?"

A heavy sigh came from Otogi before the teen mumbled in a defeated tone of voice: "Nothing happened. He just said that he needed to get a few things before we headed back here. He completely brushed me off."

Taking a sip of his tea, Seto held a small pause before commenting: "I think you caught him off-guard. He was not expecting that."

"He wasn't? Not even with all the attention I've been showering him with?" Otogi questioned incredulously. Seto actually snorted at that before grumbling: "Oh, yes, Otogi. I'm very sure that he noticed all those lust-filled gazes you have been shooting at his backside."

Otogi actually had the grace to blush even as he growled maliciously: "Screw you, Kaiba."

"You won't be getting to do that", Seto shot back coldly. "I'm taken."

&&&&&&&

Yugi was not really avoiding Yami. They were both in the same house, after all. No, what Yugi himself said that he was doing was go **coincidentally** only into those rooms where Yami was not in. Yeah, he was not avoiding his boyfriend, not at all.

It was rather cruel of him, Yugi knew that. He should not have been playing with Yami the way he had. The crimson-eyed teen was affection-starved and that meant that he was touch-starved as well. And Yugi was not really in the mood for those kinds of touches. He was not in the mood, it had nothing to do with the fact that Sugoroku could see through solid walls when Yugi was doing something he should not be doing.

Still, the point was that Yami had gotten it into his head that he and Yugi were in that stage in their relationship where it was okay to pet and even grope each other occasionally. Ever since Yugi had changed into dry clothes Yami had been trying to get Yugi to participate in some heavy making out.

Because of pure coincidence Yugi arrived in the dining room at a time when Yami was not there and ran into Hiroto. Yugi instantly grew worried about his friend, even though there was rarely a time when Hiroto needed to be worried about.

Hiroto looked very troubled as he sat in, or above, a dining room chair. He was glaring at the flower vase in front of him like it was keeping some great secret about the meaning of life from him and Yugi did not think the flowers could take much more of the burning glare without withering away.

"Hey, Hiroto", Yugi spoke out softly as he sat down beside his old friend. "What's the matter?"

There was a groan from the brunet before he turned his brown eyes to Yugi and spoke out: "Otogi voiced his desire to be involved with me today." The monkey sprite did not seem to be too excited about that and so Yugi questioned: "What did you respond?"

"I completely ignored his words and changed the subject", Hiroto replied and grit his teeth together. "He's probably feeling really offended by now."

"Then why did you do it?" Yugi asked, trying to sound supportive even when he agreed with Hiroto on the offending part.

"He caught me unawares", Hiroto replied as if that explained everything. When Yugi looked at him in a scolding manner the brunet continued: "I had not idea he liked me that way and so I had not thought of him as anything more than an acquaintance. When he said that he wouldn't mind being my lover I was at a loss to what to do."

"Well, how do you feel about him?" Yugi prompted his friend. "Tell him about your own feelings on the matter. You can't just leave him hanging."

"And that's where my problem lies", Hiroro grumbled with a sigh. "I don't know how I feel. I do feel an interest towards him but that might just be my general interest in humans talking."

Nodding his head in understanding Yugi started to speak: "Think of it this way: Jou is a human as well, so he is fascinating to you, right?"

"Yea," Hiroto replied with a nod. He was focusing entirely on Yugi now, clearly interested to know where this was going. Yugi noted this briefly before continuing: "Compare that fascination to the one you feel towards Otogi." Yugi waited for a moment for Hiroto to understand the advice before finishing in a question: "Is there a difference or are they the same?"

Hiroto was staring at the wall in front him with a frown on his face, clearly deep in thought with the answer to Yugi's question. After a while the taller teen's brown eyes turned to Yugi again and the brunet spoke in realization: "They…are different."

"There you go", Yugi said with a bright smile. "You like Otogi." That last part was said with a bright giggle from the former sprite.

There was a chuckle in response to Yugi's giggle before Hiroto spoke out in a fond tone of voice: "I never thought the day would come when you would be the one advising me."

"Friendship is about both giving and receiving help", Yugi replied simply. "It was your turn to receive."

A fond smile was Hiroto's answer to the words as the brunet reached out to ruffle Yugi's hair playfully. Yugi smiled just as brightly back at his friend as Hiroto spoke: "Thanks a ton, Yugi."

"You're welcome", Yugi replied. "You know you can always count on me."

Hiroto chuckled once more as he leaned back in his chair, since there was no danger of him falling even if the chair did, before commenting: "Some time ago that was my line."

"I've become more mature since then", Yugi said as he patted Hiroto's arm. "You should go talk to Otogi and solve things between you two."

Hiroto nodded his head before standing up and speaking with dedication: "I will do that. I will go to him and tell him that…" The brunet trailed off with a blush. "You know."

"Yes I do", Yugi assured the other before making shooing notions with his hands. "Now go. And remember to call him by his first name."

"Right", Hiroto said in realization before rushing out of the dining room to search for Otogi. The brunet was in such a hurry that he hit his shoulder on the doorway on his way out. It was with a moan of pain that the sprite continued on without slowing down the slightest.

&&&&&&&

It was not long after Ryuuji had finished telling his story to Kaiba when Hiroto suddenly burst through the kitchen door. Both Ryuuji and Kaiba jumped at the sudden loud bang of the door, Ryuuiji more visibly than Kaiba, and stared at the brunet sprite in the doorway.

"Ryuuji!" Hiroto exclaimed when he laid his eyes on the raven-haired teen sitting at the table. "I found you!"

"I'm out of here", Kaiba murmured as he stood up and took long strides to get as quickly out of the room as possible. Ryuuji suspected that that brunet wanted to escape the upcoming drama and did not really blame him. He himself did not want to witness his rejection.

"H-hello, Hiroto", Ryuuji managed to greet and cursed his own stutter. Then the human paused and questioned: "Did you just call me 'Ryuuji'?"

"Y-yeah", Hiroto replied and Ryuuji was glad to see a blush forming on the brunet's cheeks. "I thought that it would be better to call you Ryuuji than Otogi."

"Why do you think that?" Ryuuji questioned and crossed his fingers underneath the table. "Have you made up your mind about what I said earlier?"

"Yea, yea I have", Hiroto spoke rather breathlessly. "I…I decided that I wouldn't mind it either."

"Hmm?" Ryuuji prompted the sprite. "What would you not mind either?"

"If you were to be my lover", Hiroto finished and his cheeks turned a shade darker as he lowered his head slightly. "That is…if you haven't changed your mind about the matter."

"I assure you that my feelings haven't changed the slightest", Ryuuji spoke gently as he stood up from the table and stood facing the sprite. "Now how about you float yourself over here so that we can seal our little agreement properly?"

Hiroto did not have to be told twice.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Sorry about the briefness of the OtogixHiroto. This is my first time writing the two as a couple and I'm sort of only practising here. And just in case you didn't catch the undertone, by 'sealing the agreement' Ryuuji meant that they should kiss.


	30. Gentle Touches, Soft Kisses

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 30**

**Gentle Touches, Soft Kisses**

Yami was lying down on the bed in his room, not really having anything better to do in the house with Yugi having mysteriously disappeared. And the star-haired teen could not even go outside for fresh air since it was still pouring outside.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and as Yami frowned at the piece of wood curiously, a soft voice came through: "Yami? Yami are you in there?"

'Yugi!' Yami thought excitedly as he sat up on his bed, grinning widely at the door as he spoke: "I'm here, little one. Come on in."

The door opened with a click and Yugi's face peered in through the crack. When the small boy saw Yami's bright smile he seemed to lose his unusual nervousness and came completely inside, the door sliding shut behind him.

"There you are, Yugi", Yami spoke out in a friendly manner. "I was wondering where you have been the past few hours."

"I'm really sorry about that, Yami", Yugi spoke in an embarrassed manner. He started walking closer to Yami as he spoke: "It's just that…I didn't know how to approach the subject with you."

"What subject?" Yami asked as he crossed his legs and watched Yugi with worry coloring his entire posture. "Is something the matter?" The crimson-eyed youth furrowed his brows. "Is your grandfather against us being together after all?"

"No", Yugi assured the taller teen, finally sitting down on the edge of Yami's bed. "He's happy for me." The boy lowered his eyes then. "I just…well, it seems to me like you would wish to…take our relationship further."

"Of course I do, Yugi", Yami spoke out gently. "You are beautiful."

"I don't think we should do anything more than kissing", Yugi spoke quickly, completely ignoring Yami's compliment. When the taller boy blinked in confusion the amethyst-eyed teen continued in a frantic manner: "I just feel uncomfortable whenever we do something here, in grandpa's house."

"Ah", Yami breathed out. He was actually relieved that the problem was not anything worse than what Yugi had just described. It was just the same with someone not wanting to make out with their parents home. It was completely normal.

"I understand, Yugi", Yami said and grasped one of the former sprite's hands in his own. "There's nothing wrong with you feeling so nervous when you're under the same roof with your guardian."

There was a shivering sigh from Yugi before the boy looked at Yami with a grateful smile and spoke: "Thank you, Yami. I don't understand why I was so nervous about this." Yugi squeezed Yami's hand then. "You are so understanding."

"I can wait until Mai has been dealt with. For you, it'll certainly be worth it", Yami spoke as he returned Yugi's squeeze with one of his own. "That'll simply be one more thing to look forward to." As Yami finished Yugi smiled even wider and wrapped his arms around the crimson-eyed teen's shoulders. As Yugi's face was buried in the crook of Yami's neck, he did not see the taller teen bite his bottom lip in thought.

When they defeated Mai. Those were the words Yami used for Yugi. But, truth be told, the 'when' should have been an 'if'. Yami was not feeling as confident about their cause as he appeared to be, but he would never voice his doubts to Yugi. The former sprite needed all the assurance he could get.

A chiming sound rang through the room then and Yami blinked at it in confusion, jumping in surprise and causing Yugi to glance up at him in the process.

"That was the bell", Yugi explained to Yami. "It signals that it's dinner time." Yugi got up from the bed then, waiting until Yami did the same before continuing: "It's a magical sound, so that it's equally loud in every room. Come on now, I'm sure Mana has prepared something delicious." With that Yugi took a hold of Yami's wrist and pulled the taller teen out of the room after him. Yami was more than happy to be led by his love and did not resist.

It seemed that everyone had managed to make the connection between the bell and dinner, since there was already a large crowd gathered in the dining room. Right after the two teens had made their way to the table the last members of their group, Seto and Jou, entered the room as well. The blond was tucking his shirt into his pants so Yami guessed that he had been sleeping only moments earlier. The suspicion was proved correct when the blond yawned widely as he pulled himself a chair next to Seto's own.

After everyone was seated Sugoroku was the first to lift a cover off one of the trays set on the table. A delicious smell drifted to Yami's nose, making the teen realize just how hungry he was. When the old man was finished with filling his plate with soup, the turn moved around the table clockwise. The only one who seemed to be more eager to dig in into the dinner than Yami was Jou and as soon as they all started eating the blond devoured his soup with two times the fervour than anyone else. It was actually very surprising that the blond did not spill any of the soup.

While Yami was rather shocked by Jou's apparent hunger, Yugi was amused above anything else. The short boy giggled brightly before speaking out sincerely: "I'm glad to see that you are feeling well enough to eat, Jou. We have all been very worried."

The blond lifted his brown eyes from his food and actually paused in his eating to reply to Yugi's words: "I feel better than in days. I'm sure that by tomorrow I'll be as ready as anyone to take on that Mai-witch."

"I'd prefer it if you still took it easy tomorrow as well", Seto joined in on the conversation with his deep commanding tones. Jou shot the brunet a glare as he growled: "I'm fine."

"That's what you told me the last time and ended up fainting", Seto shot back in an irritated manner. Yami was pretty much expecting a fight to break out when Sugoroku's low voice interrupted any forthcoming words from either annoyed teen: "You know, Jou, us sprites do not suffer from magical depletion. It's a completely foreign illness to us and has me rather curious."

"Uh…" the blond muttered, looking really uncertain about being talked to by the elder Mutou. "I used too much magic and it's going to take some time for it to generate back."

"Which is exactly why you should rest tomorrow as well", Seto cut in. Jou's cheeks flushed in anger and the blond was clearly about to release and angry retort, but Yami spoke out loudly enough to interrupt the blond effectively: "In that case, we can't defeat Mai by simply wearing her out. If her magic can't be depleted there is very little chance of us beating her superior experience."

"Mai is a different matter entirely", Sugoroku spoke out, brining everyone's attention to himself once more. "You see, we sprites get our magic from the forest. As long as we are within the boundaries of the woods we can not be worn down. The forest is thick with magic and it is happy to give its magic to its children."

"But how is Mai different?" Ryou questioned then. "She is sprite just like all of you, right? What makes her different from the rest?"

"Mai has been exiled by not only the sprite community but the forest itself", Sugoroku explained. "She broke the ancient rules of using magic and because of that her magic became tainted and the forest can no longer supply her with regeneration."

"What did she do exactly?" Bakura questioned then, actually starting to become interested. "What could be that bad? Did she kill someone?"

"No", Sugoroku spoke. There was a deep frown on the man's face, the elder sprite clearly angered by the very thought of the crime committed by the witch. "Mai was always extremely vain. Because of this she was determined to find the source of eternal youth." Sugoroku brought his hands together as he tried to remember the story he was about to tell. "Mai began experimenting with magic, both human and sprite magic. She soon found a way to detach a soul from its body and then attach its essence to herself. She realized that by uniting other souls with hers she could stay young and beautiful."

"Why go through all that trouble to simply look good?" Yugi questioned then, not able to comprehend just how far some people would go because of an obsession.

"Mai's beauty was something that was worshipped among the sprite community", Sugoroku spoke. "She did not want to give that up, no matter what it took. She had no one to use in her spells but other sprites, who she forced to part with their souls. When sprites continued to disappear one by one, it was only a matter of time before Mai was discovered. It was exactly two hundred and thirty-seven years ago that Mai was banished from Kirusae, into the dead parts of the forest. She has not tried to return to the village once but many have been lured to her by the stories of her great magical powers. Let it be riches or beauty that they wanted, Mai was more than willing to give it in order to lure people into her web. She helped all those lost souls get what they desired, but only temporarily. This made sure that the people came back to her, willing to pay a higher price to get more of the life they had gotten a taste of."

"And then Mai asked them for their souls in return", Marik spoke from one side of the table, his tone of voice cold as ice. Yami wondered if it was because Marik's story was just like many others' or then because Marik had seen many people get lured in by Mai's empty promises.

"Yes", Sugoroku replied then. "Mai had realized that the detaching of a soul acquired a lot of magic, so she needed her victims to give themselves up to her freely. And, since the forest was no longer on her side, she could not afford to be low on magic at any point or someone might take her out in her moment of weakness."

"So, Mai is just as vulnerable as any of us", Seto concluded in a thoughtful tone of voice. "That is certainly a relief." The brunet paused then, crossing his arms. "Unless she has a duelling partner that hasn't been forsaken by the magic of the forest."

"That is very likely", Sugoroku spoke out. "Unless they have used the same soul magic as Mai they are still children to the forest."

"We will simply need to rally her quickly with our strongest spells", Bakura pointed out. "So that they will both be out cold before their stamina gives them an advantage."

"We would have to succeed with each spell", Seto argued to that. "Using high level spells will wear us down quicker so there will be no room for mistakes."

"Makes me wonder if it would be morally wrong to simply gang up in her", Jou commented in a put out manner. "She's been causing people nothing but misery, she's evil. Surely that means we could just all blast her with a spell and get it over with."

Yami actually agreed with Jou. Mai really did not deserve a fair fight after everything she had done. She had lived for over two hundred years simply by stealing souls. That woman deserved to trial but a swift execution.

"I second that", Bakura spoke out, lifting a hand to show his agreement to Jou's statement as well. The action was mimicked by Marik, who also added: "Even though I would prefer her to suffer before she dies, a quick demise will be much more easier on us."

"I wish it were that simple", Seto spoke out then, releasing a deep sigh. Yami looked over at his cousin with a startled blink. Seto knew a lot more about the workings of magic than he did so perhaps the brunet knew something none of them did not.

"There are laws placed upon the use of magic", Seto spoke out tonelessly, in his lecture voice. "They have been in place for thousands of years so they can't be overrun for our needs. The safeguards placed on the magics give us certain limitations, such as lacking the ability to kill." Seto uncrossed his arms to tap a finger on the tabletop. "It's not like any of us have tried to really kill with magic, so of course none of you know this, but I have studied all the limitations and advantages of our elemental magic. We can't use our spells to kill, nor will it be easy for us to assault her outside of an ongoing duel. Especially the activation of many magic types at the same time causes difficulties. If there are too many elements at work at once the whole thing might blow in our faces, literally."

"What a way to reject a plan", Bakura grumbled as he leaned back in his chair with a disappointed look on his face. "And I was already looking forward to crushing her with an absolute advantage."

"There's no helping it", Yami spoke out, finally getting a word in the conversation. "We will simply have to be better than her. There is no other way."

"I will help you practise", Sugoroku offered then. "I know quite the few things about the concepts behind human magic. Tomorrow we can take a look at some of my books after I have measured the remaining magics you have."

"Sounds like a plan", Jou said in a cheerful manner. "And, since I think this just about covers the conversation, how about we continue eating now? It would be a shame if Mana's delicious cooking would go to waste."

There were some snickers and a couple of actual barks of laughter at Jou's words, and Sugoroku was the one who spoke in an amused manner: "I say the boy has the right idea. Let's dig in." And with that everyone continued on with the dinner in a brighter mood. As Yami watched Jou devour his soup before actually taking seconds, the star-haired teen wondered if Seto could take the final step and seduce the blond by learning how to cook. It was definitely a possibility in his opinion.

&&&&&&&

Throughout the rest of the evening Malik could not stop thinking about Marik. The wolf-sprite's reactions to some of the things that Sugoroku had said had the fox curious. He wondered why Marik seemed to feel such hostility towards those who had fallen into Mai's trap, but the platinum-haired sprite also wanted to know how the older teen had ended up as one of Mai's goons.

It was strange, how Marik seemed to have a lot of freedom, since the tall boy had been hanging around their group so much. Or was it simply that Mai did not look after her slaves? That seemed highly unlikely in Malik's opinion. Mai would no have been able to stick around for hundreds of years if she was that careless.

After dinner was over Malik left the dining room only when Marik did, following the taller teen into the entrance hall where he grasped the other by the arm to get his attention. Marik turned around quickly, like looking at Malik was the most important task in the world to him. Malik brushed that thought aside quickly before speaking to the wolf sprite: "You were acting really strangely at dinner. Is something on your mind?"

Right at that moment Marik's eyes seemed to shine in the dim light of the entrance hall and Malik was stunned into silence before the taller teen spoke: "Are you worried about me, Malik? Do you care enough to run after me to make sure I'm alright?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Malik snapped as he turned his head to the side in order to hide the fact that his cheeks had flushed and gained a deep red tinge. "I was just curious!" The fox sprite noticed that his fingers were clinging to Marik's arm tightly but he did not have the heart to release his grip. It was with a rare sign of hesitance that Malik lifted his eyes to Marik's own again and questioned: "Would you mind telling me about how you came across Mai?"

An unreadable look came across Marik's face, one of the most serious ones the shorter boy had ever seen the other use around him. The wolf sprite lifted his hand to grasp Malik's own over his arm before he muttered quietly: "Only you, and someplace private."

Understanding very well the need for privacy that the wolf might be experiencing Malik nodded his head and allowed Marik to lead him by the hand as the two of them walked around the stairs and into the slim hall that lead to the backdoor of the house.

"I never met Mai personally before I belonged to her", Marik started, holding on to Malik's hand tightly as he spoke. Malik ignored the gesture that would usually have him yelling at the wolf and merely listened as the other spoke: "My father was a proud man, but also very greedy. He wished for money and power, to be the leader of the mountain village."

"Another sprite village?" Malik breathed out. "Where-"

"On the other side of the forest", Marik replied before Malik was even finished with his question. "I'm not sure if it's there anymore, since I haven't been there in ten years." There was a forlorn look in Marik's eyes that had Malik feeling a pang of compassion for the older sprite. "He bought Mai's help with a rare magical item. It was human-made and he did not know what it was for. Mai was excited to have it, however, and my father got all the wealth and power he had ever dreamed of, along with a beautiful wife as a bonus.

"But none of that held together. Soon enough all the gold was spent and the people of the village looked at my father with dislike instead of respect. The last crushing blow was the death of his wife, who had managed to give him with two heirs before falling ill. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Mai's spell had worn off and my father went to Mai again, asking the witch to make her spell stronger.

"Mai did agree to the request, but she had a higher price this time. She wanted my father to give her one of his children. In his despair to get his good life back he agreed and planned to give my sister, Ishizu, to the vicious witch. I was too valuable to sacrifice, since I would be the one to continue his line, but father did not realize that I loved my sister a lot more than him.

"I ran away, going to the spot where father had taken Ishizu. She was sitting on a rock tied up and I decided that we would both be better off with Mai than with our father. Because of that, when she came, I told her that I would come along as well. Mai couldn't care less, and allowed it without a second thought even though her contract had been for only one child.

"Me and Ishizu both lived in the dead forest from that day onward. In due time I noticed that I had more freedom than my sister; I could go farther away and I could stay away longer. It was only a couple of years ago that I realized why it was so. Mai always makes written documents for her deals and the one with my father stated clearly '_in exchange for one child'_. The contract had no power over me."

"Then why haven't you escaped from Mai?" Malik questioned in a disbelieving manner. "Why did you stay if you were really free?"

"Because I'm not really free", Marik replied, confusing Malik even further. "As long as Mai has Ishizu, I will always go back to her. That is my unwritten contract with her."

"An unwritten contract…" Malik repeated quietly, thoughtfully. "But when we defeat Mai, you and your sister will both be free, right?"

"I think so", Marik said with a nod. "It makes sense." Marik then lifted their intertwined hands and laid a soft kiss on Malik's knuckles. "I'm glad you worry about me, Malik. It makes me so very happy…"

Malik felt his cheeks heat up but this time he did not turn his head away in shame. Perhaps, all this time, he had taken Marik for granted. Now that the wolf sprite was acting serious with him, showing him the darkness of his memories, Malik could truly believe that Marik's infatuation towards him was true.

It was with a soft smile that Malik stepped closer to the taller sprite, laying a small peck on Marik's wrist before speaking: "I'm glad to hear that."

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Argh! The sappiness! Oh, well, I still hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.


	31. Unmasked

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 31**

**Unmasked**

Bakura walked into the room he shared with Ryou, the other boy following right after him. The taller teen turned around as he questioned: "Will you take the first turn in the bathroom?"

"Actually, I want to talk with you", came Ryou's response and the serious tone of voice immediately caught Bakura's attention.

"What is it, Ryou?" Bakura asked as he sat down on top of the nearest bed. Ryou came over and sat down beside him before starting to speak: "I just wanted to apologise for the way I've been treating you. I was really nervous since this is the first relationship I have been in and when you were pressing me about having sex I got scared."

"Ryou", Bakura spoke, cutting off any further words from the other boy. He now knew what Ryou wanted to say and he wanted to tell the other teen that he understood. Bakura laid a hand on top of one of Ryou's own as he spoke: "It's alright. I understand. And I apologise for being so inconsiderate towards your situation."

"Thank you", came the soft whisper from Ryou before the shorter teen leaned his head against Bakura's shoulder. "You really can be so kind."

Feeling his cheeks heat up Bakura let go of Ryou's hand to wrap his arm around the smaller boy's shoulders. There was a content sigh from Ryou and Bakura buried his face in the other's silky hair that felt so much softer against his skin than his own hair.

"This is nice…" Ryou murmured against Bakura's shirt. Bakura only hummed in response, too comfortable to speak, as he buried his face further into Ryou's snowy locks. If he had been more aware of his situation he would have realized how close he was to actually nuzzling the shorter boy. But right then he could not have cared less.

&&&&&&&

Seto had allowed Jou to use the bathroom first and so the blond had already climbed into bed by the time Seto came out of the bathroom dressed in his pyjamas. The blond was eyeing the brunet in a lost manner as Seto walked across the room to his own bed. Seto's back was turned to him as the brunet got on the bed and Jou bit his lip as he thought about what he was going to do.

Marik's words were still fresh in his mind and Jou wondered if there was some truth in what the wolf sprite had told him. He was not so sure that a person would do something against their nature simply because they were in love with someone.

Katsuya wondered if it would matter if he showed Seto his affections. It would be nice to have at least a bit of closeness with the brunet before the 'big day' tomorrow. Katsuya did not know if it would be worth it in the end but he did not want to just wonder about it either. He did not want to regret not acting on his feelings later on.

It was surprisingly quiet, the way Jou got off of his own bed and padded the way to Seto's bedside. The brunet lifted his blue eyes to him when he took the last step and the gaze Seto gave Jou was the permission to speak his mind.

When he came to the conclusion that he had no idea how to go through with this he decided to simply be blunt. Sitting down on the bed he wrapped his arms around the pyjama-clad Seto sitting on the bed.

"Jou?" Seto questioned softly and brought his hands to the blond's hips, the contact causing the blond to shiver slightly. "Is something wrong? Why are you-"

"You know", Jou started to speak, cutting Seto's queries off. "I'm a really affectionate person. I like contact."

A heavy blush took over Jou's cheeks as he buried his face into Seto's shoulder. What he had just said was the undeniable truth. The blond did like affectionate contact. It had always been like that and now Jou really wanted to be in Seto's arms.

"What can I do?" Seto questioned and Jou smiled in happiness at how willing the brunet was to help him. He nuzzled his face into Seto's neck as a shudder went down his spine, causing the blond to bite his lip momentarily before he could speak out quietly: "I'd just like to be held tonight."

"My, puppy…" Seto murmured as he rubbed Jou's back with one of his hands. "Do you like me that much?"

"Yes", came Jou's answer as he held on to Seto even tighter. He wanted this so much that it could be considered a need and he simply loved the feeling of having Seto hold him in such a caring manner.

"Jou…" Seto spoke then, his voice suddenly more worried than Jou had ever heard it. The blond pulled back to look Seto straight in the eye as the brunet questioned: "Has something happened? You're acting strange."

"I…" Jou started and almost revealed his secret right there and then. There was something about Seto's eyes that seemed warn against lying, at least to Jou it had always seemed like that. Instead of lying, or telling the truth at that matter, Jou simply spoke: "There's something I need to tell you, but it will have to wait until tomorrow."

"Jou", Seto started, his tone turning commanding, but when Jou shot him a pleading look the brunet quieted down. Jou was not want to beg but apparently it was something that worked with Seto like nothing else.

"Let's just sleep, okay?" Jou asked gently and lowered his eyes from Seto's face. There was a sigh from Seto, a clear sign that the brunet was not happy with the situation. It also meant that Seto was going to do what Jou wanted, though, and soon enough the two of them were both lying side by side under the covers.

"Good night, Seto", Jou mumbled as he snuggled up to the taller body beside him. He felt Seto's lips brush across his temple and sighed happily when the brunet spoke gently: "Good night, Jou."

&&&&&&&

Breakfast the following morning was a quiet affair. At least it was quiet when compared to the previous feasts that had been filled with loud banter or even arguments. That morning was exceptionally peaceful even though Bakura had attempted to annoy Seto when the brunet had first arrived in the dining room. This had been because Seto had had Jou wrapped around his arm. Bakura had started making comments about what a cute couple the two made but a fierce glare from Seto had silenced the albino easily enough.

It was rather peculiar how Jou seemed to be glued to Seto's side. It was not that Yugi was not happy for the two of them, it was just that it did not seem like everything was exactly alright.

During the days he had spent around the blond human, Yugi had learned that Jou was slightly lacking in the department of acting the dutiful boyfriend. It was hard to consider that impression to be the same person as the blond sitting on the other side of the table. Jou was acting, in lack of a better term, extremely clingy towards Seto and that was not something Yugi would have thought the independent Jou to do. To put things simply, the thing Yugi was feeling was wrong had to be something about Jou. Jou was not completely alright and that worried Yugi.

And it seemed that Yugi was not the only one who found Jou's new behaviour odd. Seto, who should have been happy about the situation, did not look as glad about getting to snuggle with Jou as he did worried. Yugi was wondering what had happened between the two males between dinner and breakfast but he know for certain that Seto could not give him any answers.

"Ryou checked the weather this morning and has confirmed that there should be no surprise rain today", Sugoroku started then, cutting Yugi's ponderings off. "That means that the ones who didn't get to show their powers yesterday will get to do so today." The old man then shot a meaningful glance at Yugi as he finished: "Everyone can come along today as long as there won't be any distractions."

"Sounds good to me", Yami spoke out and Sugoroku nodded his head before saying: "If that's settled then I guess we can get going."

"Just a moment", came Jou's voice then and Yugi looked over to the blond to see him reaching for a yet another bun as he finished: "I'm not finished eating yet."

"You can finish those while we walk", Seto pointed out as he stood up. "Come on, puppy."

A sigh came from Jou and the blond grumbled: "Fine…" And with that the blond grabbed one bun more before standing up with Seto. Everyone else stood up from the table as well as Sugoroku lead the way out of the house and through the village to the gate.

Not many were awake so early in the morning and so the group did not run into anyone on their way to the other side of Kirusae. There was a sensation of cool wind against Yugi's face and arms as the air around them rippled like water, caused by them passing through the protective shields around the village. Yugi really had to wonder if the shields made the village invisible to Mai as well. The woman had been exiled from the village, after all.

Soon enough the group stopped at a forest clearing a short distance away from the village. It was a good place for casting spells without any risk of damaging the surroundings so that Sugoroku could see how well their powers would serve against someone as experienced as Mai. Personally Yugi was really worried about that. How could they even hope to stand a chance against someone as old as the witch, who had had years after years to perfect her skills and power? It was a very negative thought and now that Yugi had once thought about it he could not stop until he had gotten an answer to that question. It was a sad truth that the more time that passed without them hearing anything about Mai, the more worried Yugi became of their success in beating the woman.

They took turns in using their powers, starting from Malik and ending in Yugi. Personally Yugi thought that he had done the worst out of them all. Not only had he been able to cast only a single spell, but he had not been able to control the magic. It had taken both Yami and Seto casting defensive spells to make sure that none of the plant life was harmed by the magic. The event left Yugi feeling very embarrassed about the whole thing and the former sprite was not feeling very confident in himself. He was more likely going to be more trouble than help in the upcoming battle unless he would manage to gain control of his magic by some miracle.

"To be quite truthful, the lot of you are a lot stronger than I first gave you credit for", Sugoroku commented finally. "I never would have guessed that you humans are so advanced in magic. The old records stated that only certain humans knew how to practise magic."

"And when were those records written?" Bakura questioned in his typical snappy manner. "During the previous millennium?"

"Yes, pretty much", came Sugoroku's response and Bakura seemed t decide that it was better if he kept any and all future comments to himself. "Times truly have changed. When us sprites stopped using magic so much in duelling and more in everyday life, you humans have started to consider Duelling Magic as something that should be taught to all."

"Is it enough to beat Mai?" Seto asked then. "If she eats souls then doesn't that increase her spiritual powers?"

"In a way, yes", Sugoroku started. "Still, mostly the power of those souls goes to keeping herself young. Mai may have learned to use all the elements she has come across but the strengths of her spells depends on when she last devoured someone else's life force and how many she has devoured recently."

"So, if Mai has not strengthened the spell that keeps her young recently, she can be defeated even with our powers?" Ryou questioned. There was a nod from Sugoroku and the old man replied: "In theory, at least."

"It's going to have to be good enough", Seto pointed out. "It's not like we have much time to practise with Mai going to attack any day now."

"Still, I see that as a reason to not practise", Malik spoke out then. "I say we try to practise as much as we can as long as we can. It's not like we have anything to lose."

"It's settled then", Yami added into the conversation. "We'll pair up and see if we can manage to improve our skills before the big battle." The crimson-eyed teen threw an arm around Yugi's shoulders. "I call Yugi."

"Just don't go easy on him", Seto said in an amused manner before turning to Jou. "You're with mw pup, that way I can say we quit when you seem too tired to continue to me."

"Okay", Jou agreed instantly, nodding his head at the brunet. The rest of them paired up in a similar manner as well after which Sugoroku headed back to village. The old sprite had given all of the humans a charm that allowed them to see the entrance to the village whenever they decided to return back. They had decided to split up somewhat so that they could all get enough room to practise and not get in each other's way. Yugi and Yami had gotten the clearing for themselves to practise in.

The two managed to train for a couple of hours before Yugi was interrupted by something like a premonition. Yugi was very surprised when be was so aware of someone's presence in the forest around them. The boy had thought that he had lost all connections to the woods when he had been turned into a human but he knew for certain that there was someone nearing his and Yami's position from the north.

"Yami", Yugi spoke out and the taller teen was instantly all ears. "Someone's coming closer from the northern woods. There's a very high chance of it being someone working for Mai."

"That's not good", Yami grumbled with a deep frown. "If it's a strong opponent then we have little chance of winning without us having our full strength."

Knowing very well what that meant, but not sure if Yami's pride allowed him to go along with it, Yugi decided against asking Yami for confirmation to his thoughts and merely grabbed the taller boy's hand before starting to pull him towards the nearest bushes. Yugi could only hope that the people approaching would not be able to sense them among the plants and would simply pass them by.

Sputtering against the act of hiding from a challenge, Yami had to be silenced by Yugi as the smaller boy placed his hand against the crimson-eyed youth's mouth and gave the other a look that clearly told the other to stay quiet.

A couple of moments later two forms drifted from among the woods and into the clearing from the trees on the left side from where Yami and Yugi were hiding. The new arrivals were wearing dark cloaks and as if that was not enough to clue Yugi into them being Mai's cronies the former sprite heard Ishizu's voice from one of the figures.

"I'll circle the area anticlockwise, you go clockwise", Ishizu commanded her companion, who nodded mutely in understanding. Yugi was then certain that this was the exact same twosome that they had battled before. It was not very likely that many people were that silent.

Yugi and Yami watched in silence when Ishizu took off into the direction opposite to their hiding spot. The other cloaked form was headed towards them instead and at the next moment Yami's voice spoke in a low tone: "We can take him out as long as it's him alone."

"How do you know it's a him?" Yugi questioned, even though he knew Yami's doubts. They were, after all, his own. "I don't think we should be talking like that."

"No one is harmed as long as we say it when it's only the two of us", Yami commented and in the next instant the taller teen had leaped out of the bushes and at the person only a couple of feet away. A bright neon green flash later the cloaked figure was rendered harmless and Yugi climbed out of the bushes after his companion.

The surprise attack had clearly done the trick. The hooded figure was on the ground on its knees and as Yugi stopped in front of the dark-clad person Yami reached for the hood that hid the person's face from view.

Yugi watched closely as Yami ripped off the hood of the cloak to reveal the mysterious attacker's face. The short boy was actually holding his breath when he was certain that he could sense a familiar magical signature as the person lifted their face up for him to see.

A gasp escaped from Yugi when he peered into deep brown eyes.

_**To be continued…**_


	32. The Real Jou

The Little Sprite

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 32**

**The Real Jou**

_An hour ealier..._

Even though Jou knew that he was missing a perfect opportunity to tell Seto what he had been meaning to tell the brunet whole day, he could not find the right words to begin with. Even when Seto called their training off after a bit over an hour Jou was still at all loss when it came to approaching the subject he wanted to discuss.

"Come on, Seto! We haven't even gotten warmed up yet!" Jou whined at the brunet, wanting more time to go through with whatever lines he wanted to use. However, Seto would have none of that and started to speak: "I don't trust you to be able to recognize it when you aren't in a fit state to cast spells anymore. I decided that we should stop now and so we will, just in case you haven't fully recuperated yet."

Not exactly willing to do so Jou walked to Seto and the two sat down on the grass to rest side by side with their backs resting against a tree. The silence that fell was not uncomfortable per se, but Jou was too anxious to stay quiet and so he questioned: "What now?"

"Something was bothering you last night", Seto started and Jou immediately regretted opening up the conversation. "You said you would tell me what the whole deal was today."

Turning his face away from Seto Jou frowned to himself as he thought furiously about a way to talk to Seto about this. He did not want to be too blunt with it and then end up with Seto hating him because a misunderstanding. He would have to make Seto understand how things were from his point of view first.

"I was scared, okay?" Jou snapped defensively and then bit his lip when he noticed just how hostile his tone of voice had been. Trying to fight back his instinct to defend himself with violence Jou pressed on: "Anyone would have done the same in my position."

"What position?" Seto questioned then, sounding not only impatient, but irritated as well. Jou glanced quickly at the brunet to see a frown over the other teen's face. Seto's searching gaze met Jou's own and the blond sighed softy before lowering his head and muttering: "How about I just showed you? This would be so much easier for me that way."

"Do as you wish", Seto replied and Jou nodded his head before closing his eyes. He had not done this in a while but he still remembered how it was done. And it had always been easy for him. All he had to do was conjure up the image in his mind and the magic in his body would take care of the rest.

It burned, more so than Jou remembered, but the boy grit his teeth and ignored the painful sensation. This was easy, he reminded himself. He could do this.

His ears were ringing as he gasped out, knowing that he was almost finished from the uncomfortable throbbing in his lower back. The first sound that reached Jou's suddenly more sensitive ears was a gasp that had not come from his own mouth. Blinking his eyes open Jou came face to face with an astonished looking Seto.

"Jou…" uttered the taller teen softly before reaching out a hand and brushing his fingers against the shell of Jou's ear. Deciding to give Seto some time to recover Jou directed his attention to the throbbing in is lower back and lowered his pants slightly to ease the pressure there, all the while trying to keep himself close to ground level when the laws of gravity seemed to have faded away. A low hiss escaped from his mouth, seemingly snapping the boy sitting opposite to him back to his senses.

"What is this, Jou?" Seto questioned forcefully as his hand buried itself in Jou's hair, right below his ear. "Why do you look like this?"

"Look like what, Seto?" Jou questioned back, finally meeting Seto's gaze once more. He allowed his tail to swish from side to side slowly, happy to have it out of the confinements of his pants. His triangular ears twitched slightly, a sign to Seto that he was still not feeling comfortable. Hopefully the other boy would not notice.

Suddenly Jou felt a touch against his back and noticed that Seto had moved, placing his free hand to the point on Jou's back where the furred tail began. Jou could not help but shiver when Seto pressed against his skin with his fingertips in his quest to make sure that he was seeing things right. And the hand in Jou's hair was also probing around the back of the blond's ear, making the shorter teen fight against the urge to whine like the puppy that he was.

"You're a sprite?" Seto questioned suddenly, finally releasing his hold on the blond. Jou sighed in relief at that, never having felt so violated before, and replied: "Half sprite, Seto. My dad was a human and my mom was a sprite."

Jou tried to search Seto's face for any possible emotion but came out empty-handed. He had no idea how his revelation was affecting Seto. The tall teen's face was as unreadable as ever, or at least too unreadable for Jou to make out anything significant. Wagging his tale some more Jou noticed that Seto's eyes were instantly drawn to the appendage in question. Choosing not to comment on the interest the brunet seemed to have with his tail Jou spoke: "I always wondered how you, out of all the things you could call me, chose puppy."

"Impression", Seto replied curtly, his eyes blinking and focusing on Jou's face again. "The characteristics are in your behaviour as well."

"I blame my genes", Jou defended softly and got a slight chuckle out of Seto. It was a relieving sound, one that made Jou hope that Seto would not think any differently about him now.

Before Jou could approach that burning subject, however, the two were interrupted by the sudden invading feeling of darkness that appeared out of nowhere. It was not the same as elemental darkness, Jou was familiar with that, but a foreign feeling of something that went deeper than elements, into the very soul of a being. It was almost evil.

Noticing that Seto had risen to his feet to meet a possible threat and Jou also straightened himself out, missing the feeling of having solid ground beneath his feet. The dog sprite did not have the time to do anything more than consider changing back before a figure appeared out of the darkness. It was a human figure, a woman with long blond hair and wings hanging around her frame. The woman was soon accompanied by a brunet male that appeared to be a lizard sprite of sorts.

"Well, you certainly aren't little Yugi", the woman spoke in a tone of voice that managed to sound threatening even when the woman was talking so flippantly. "But I take it you two are friends of his. Perhaps you would tell me where to find him."

"Forget it, lady", Jou snapped instantly and the woman's deep violet eyes focused on him angrily. "You don't belong here, so get lost."

"I can be wherever I please!" the woman snapped suddenly, all false cheerfulness gone now. "Soon this will all belong to me and the first thing I will do is make sure no one ever makes a statement like that to me again."

"I take it you are Mai, then", Seto spoke out, staying completely calm at the face of their enemy. "How about a duel? Let's see how great of a witch you truly are."

At first Mai looked at them in a disbelieving manner. Then the woman broke into laughter. Seto kept on glaring at the sprite until she managed to calm down enough to wipe a stray tear from her face and respond: "Certainly, human. I have nothing to fear. Isn't that right, Valon?" Mai turned to her lizard companion, who nodded his head in agreement and spoke: "They really don't look tough enough to grant us even a workout."

"We will see about that when you accept the challenge", Seto shot back confidently. The brunet turned his blue eyes to Jou and spoke softly: "Will you fight with me?"

With me. That was what Seto had said and there was no way Jou could refuse. The boy merely nodded his head mutely and Seto turned his attention back to Mai in time for the witch to say: "We accept."

Instantly a smirk settled on Seto's face, the human's game face, and at the next moment Jou had one of the taller teen's arms around his waist as Seto spoke out: "Activate Battle Level Five."

Five? How could they access level five, Jou wondered. Was that not the highest level that only few could use? Anxiously Jou glanced at the color that they gave to the battle ring and to his shock he found it completely black, the color of the fifth battle level.

"Seto?" Jou questioned from the brunet. "How did you do that?" Jou glanced at the black color again and when Seto did not reply the shorter teen asked: "Do you think we can win like this?"

"With you fighting with me, there's no way I can lose", Seto replied confidently and then the both of them focused on their opponents and saw their battle color appear on the field. The dark color of violet mixed together with their black one and Jou wondered how Mai combined her spells with Valon's own.

"That's…not possible", came Mai's voice suddenly and Jou looked at the woman in confusion to see her glaring incredulously at their battlefield. "Level five…there is no way some brats like you could access it. How?"

"It has everything to do which partner you choose", Seto spoke to the blonde, his smirk even wider now that he had managed to ruffle Mai's feathers before they had even started the battle. The brunet's confidence was truly admirable and as Jou allowed himself to finally relax into the familiar thrill of a magical duel, he could feel something different about himself. He was suddenly more aware of everything around him; he felt super sensitive and he was certain that it had nothing to do with him currently being in his sprite form. No, this new awareness came from the battle stage he and Seto had accessed. It was almost like he could feel Seto, like they were one instead of two separate people. Was this the power of the fifth battle level?

"You will need more than simply compatibility to win us!" Valon taunted from Mai's side. "We have been fighting together for years! A couple of kids aren't going to best us."

"How about you show us some proof of that instead of barking useless threats?" Seto called back, not faltering even the slightest. Jou had to wonder if Seto truly was that confident in their victory. The smaller one of the pair did not feel as certain.

The feeling of hesitation was soon forgotten when Jou had to focus completely on fighting against the sprite pair. Mai had seemingly grown tired of waiting someone else do the first move and had herself cast the first spell, revealing to Jou instantly that she was an ice elemental. There was a prompting feeling in the back of Jou's consciousness, agreeing with the blond on the fact that he should attempt to block the attack with his elemental advantage. A moment later a firewall rose to null the attack.

It seemed that Seto knew exactly when the wall of fire would fade enough for an attack to make it through. As soon as it was possible the human launched a light spell at their opponents.

Mai also lifted a defensive spell to block the light attack with a wall of ice. Jou was suddenly struck with the thought that Mai seemed to want to do everything herself, not trusting anyone but herself to get things done.

Next up came another attack from the opposing team, this time a united spell from the both of them. Ice and water mixed together into a fast attack that sent cold wind all the way to the other end of the battlefield. Jou created another firewall to slow the attack down; for he was rather certain that he would not be able to counter the attack completely. There was no need for worry, however, when Seto lifted a shield of his own right behind Jou's firewall. The double defence was enough to block the spell completely but Jou was still worried. There was very little chance of them winning like this when the victory or defeat depended solely on which team would tire out first.

Seto had caught on to this as well and Jou could have sworn that it was Seto's idea that suddenly appeared in his mind. And it most likely was, considering that the battling pair was connected when engaged in the highest battle level.

Upper elements were difficult to mix and it was not recommendable to attempt it, especially by people who did not have much experience in uniting elements. So they would have to do the mix with their general elements.

Valon and Mai had decided to launch another attack while Seto and Jou prepared their own joined attack. It was ice against flaming lighting and the two spells collided. Even though the two attacks seemed to be equally powerful, both of them managed to pass through the collision point and strike at their targets.

Falling against Seto at the impact of the spell Jou felt the brunet's exhaustion. Neither of them had ever attempted a joined effort spell before so it was, of course, to be expected. But the thing was, Jou did not feel tired at all and along with the realization Jou remembered how Yugi's grandfather had told him about how being in the forest kept sprites magically balanced.

Hoping that Mai's restriction to the forest's assistance applied to her battle partner as well, Jou faced their opponents and saw the Valon was actually ready to continue fighting. It was still no big deal; Jou might just be able to beat the lizard with his darkness elemental spells, as long as he did not get seriously blasted by the other's spell as well.

Calling forth his darkness powers Jou used his by now familiar strongest spell. Darkness Assault would definitely be enough to finish the fight as long as Valon decided to take offensive action instead of defensive. If Valon used a defensive spell then the spell would not be strong enough to finish the fight.

Finally launching the attack Jou watched Valon respond with a water attack. The large wave was pierced by Jou's attack but it still continued to rush towards Jou and Seto. A moment before Jou's attack would have connected with Valon and Mai's shield ring, a wall of light appeared to defend against the wave attack. It was not one of full power, though, and some of the spell made it through, but it was not strong enough to harm them much.

Mai and Valon on the other hand had lost their shield ring and Valon was currently out cold on the forest ground. Mai had managed to regain her composure, though, and was seething in anger with her face a fiery red.

"You lost, Mai!" Jou snapped at the woman and as the battlefield faded, so did his connection to Seto. He felt lonely all of a sudden, without the feeling of the other's mind right alongside his own. Still, Jou showed none of that on the outside as he called to Mai: "You want to surrender?"

"Never!" Mai screeched and started to fade from sight. Valon also vanished along with the woman, and so did the foreign feeling of darkness, leaving Seto and Jou in the forest alone.

"Are you okay?" Jou asked in concern before turning to the teen beside him. Seto looked tired, but did not seem to be in a terrible shape. Apparently the human had been holding back with that last shield of his in order to end up with the same kind of an energy loss that had rendered Jou useless previously.

"I'm fine", Seto replied and then questioned: "How about you?"

"I feel excellent!" Jou cheered excitedly. "It seems that what Yugi's grandpa said about sprites was right. The forest is giving me its power."

"That's a relief to hear", Seto said with a nod before directing his attention to Jou's ears, giving one of them a slight tug. "We need to do something about these, you know."

"Why?" Jou questioned while furrowing his brows, turning his head so that his ear came out of Seto's grip. He did not think he was going to like this conversation.

Seto was frowning now too as he spoke: "One of those attackers at the fair had the same type of magic as you. Let's just say that Yami is suspicious of you so it would not be a good idea to let him find out that you are a sprite, even if it's only by half."

Feeling dread creep up his spine Jou started in a soft tone of voice: "You said Yami suspects me. Does that mean that you-"

"Just change back so that we can go check on Yami and Yugi", Seto interrupted and Jou felt himself grow angry. "I suspect that they might be in danger as well."

Jou did not want to listen. The way Seto had cut him off pretty much told him everything he needed to know. Seto **did** suspect Jou and suddenly the puppy remembered the brunet's earlier question of whether he knew a person called Mai or not. It was heartbreaking. Jou could have sworn that he felt his heart shatter to tiny pieces when he realized that Seto had been spying on him for Yami. All those gentle touches and caring words were nothing more than a way to get under Jou's skin, to get him to reveal his secrets to the other teen.

Even as he felt his stomach twist uncomfortably and his throat choke painfully, Jou refused to cry. He would not let it show on the outside just how broken he was. He forced his tone of voice to stay completely even as he spoke his accusation: "You don't care at all about me, do you?"

**To be continued…**

Ending Notes: Just in case someone is confused, this chapter's events are set before the ones of the previous chapter. Behold a sneak preview of chapter 33: Betrayed!

All of Yami's possible words died in his throat when he saw the two triangular ears sticking out from the top of Jou's head. The crimson-eyed teen directed his gaze back to the blond's face, not able to comprehend just how Jou could look like a dog sprite. The bright glow of the flames made Jou's hair and fur appear strawberry red and the other teen seemed somehow stronger than before.


	33. Betrayed

The Little Sprite

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 33**

**Betrayed**

"You don't care at all, about me, do you?" Jou spoke out in a soft, emotionless tone. Seto blinked in confusion at the blond, wondering where the shorter teen had gotten an idea like that when all this time Seto had been trying to convince the other to think otherwise.

"All this time you've been spying on me", Jou accused, his face twisting into an angry snarl, the blond's anger further emphasized by the sharp canine teeth that were bared at Seto. "Earlier you were asking me about Mai. You were doing some probing for Yami."

"I really don't think this matter is very important", Seto said to the blond. They really did not have time to argue about this. Perhaps later on, when the brunet was certain that his worthless cousin was alright.

"Of course it's important!" Jou snapped angrily. "You've been trying to get me to slip up! That's why you have been so nice to me!"

Seto froze then. Were those tears he was seeing glistening in Jou's eyes? It was breathtakingly beautiful…

"And now you're telling me to change back to _myself_, like this appearance is less-valuable or something!" Jou cried out, his tone turning high pitched as he neared on a hyperventilating state. "Well, just so you know, this is part of who I am as well and it hurts when you speak like it's suddenly worth nothing!"

"You're talking nonsense", Seto snapped coldly at the blond. What was _wrong_ with Jou? Where had this suddenly come from? Still, it seemed that Seto had managed to calm the blond down with his dismissive attitude towards the accusations. The brunet changed his mind about that when Jou suddenly spoke in a tone of voice that was completely uncharacteristic in its bitterness: "Am I really?"

Actually growling out of frustration Seto reached towards the blond and laid a hand on a thin shoulder as he ordered coldly: "Just listen to yourself for a moment."

Jou immediately pulled himself out of Seto's grip and was screaming again: "Why don't _you_ listen to _yourself_? You took advantage of me and you aren't even sorry!"

"I have nothing to be sorry for!" Seto bellowed back at the blond. It was the truth. Jou had completely misunderstood his motives and if the blond would just calm down for a moment he would see that.

"Yes you do!" Jou screeched, clearly not ready to calm down and think about things rationally. "You have been abusing my feelings, you bastard!"

That was it. Seto had had enough of this. He reached out and grabbed Jou's arm in a vice grip that might have actually been painful to Jou in the strength it held behind it. Seto was not feeling very lenient at the moment and did not regret it even when Jou winced slightly from pain. He pulled the blond closer to his and spoke a single word, a stern order, in a tone of voice that left no room for argument: "Stop."

Brown orbs met Seto's own blue ones and for a moment Seto's eyes widened in shock. Those eyes held such deep malice in them it would have been unbelievable if Seto was not seeing it for himself. Jou's eyes were burning when the blond spoke in a deep growl: "You clearly only care about your family. I can't believe I…" For a moment the blond's expression wavered, like he was about to break down crying, but the hesitation disappeared in the next instant as Jou bellowed at Seto: "I hate you!" The next moment the blond was gone.

It took Seto's mind a moment to realize that the brunet was holding thin air in his grip. Jou had vanished in a flash of shimmering blue light and Seto had not idea where the other teen had gone. Heck, he had no idea what had just happened but he could conclude that he had not handled the situation well. He knew what to do to fix things, though. He would need to find Jou and show the blond how he really felt.

Jou probably had not gone far away, Seto figured as he started to push his way through the forest. It was very likely that Jou had gone off to badger one of the other pairs practising in the forest in a way to forget about the fight and released his frustration. The brunet would go through each of them until he found Jou and when he did find the blond, he would make sure that Jou never misunderstood his motives again.

&

It took Yugi a moment to realize that what he had thought to be brown eyes were actually brownish green. The soulless eyes stared at Yugi without any emotion at all and the star-haired boy noticed many things that made it apparent that this was not Jou.

The person kneeling on the grass had long, soft red hair and pale skin and was also clearly female. Adding to these features the young girl had triangular ears sticking out of her hair, accompanied by short but sharp canines that were visible in the corner of her mouth.

"Who are you?" Yugi asked from the sprite girl in Yami's grip. Instead of an answer, however, Yugi got a straight look from the expressionless eyes a brief moment before a blast of dark energy sent him crashing into the grass a few feet away.

Yugi had never been hit directly by a spell before but the intense pain went unnoticed by the former sprite. The boy was simply too deliriously happy to know that Jou was not their enemy after all.

&

A wave of shock coursed through Yami when he saw Yugi get blasted by the girl's magic. For a moment he did not think about anything other than making sure that Yugi was alright and tossed the sprite he had a hold of aside in favour of rushing to Yugi's side.

"Yugi!" Yami shouted out as he knelt down next to Yugi's fallen form. "Yugi, are you alright?"

"It…hurts", Yugi replied slowly while Yami wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's torso. "W-where's the sprite?"

The question caused Yami to realize just what kind of a situation they were in. He quickly turned his head towards his former prisoner to see that that innocent-looking girl had already finished loading a vicious-looking fire spell.

When the spell was cast Yami was completely prepared to throw himself over Yugi to shield the smaller teen, since there was no way he could have cast a protection spell fast enough to counter the attack.

It turned out that Yami did not need to suffer the full blast of the spell. The fire blast did not even get very near them before a wall of black fire rose up in the spell's way.

"Yami! Yami, damn it, don't you have any idea how to protect yourself?" came a shout a moment before Jou's face appeared in Yami's line of sight. The light of the flames was now fading away slowly as the blond continued to speak: "What is going on here, anyway? Where did that attack come from?"

"It's one of Mai's followers", Yami replied to the blond's queries. "She has given us grief before and now Mai has sent her after us again."

"No worries Yami. I'll help you out", Jou offered in his typical helpful manner. Yami was about to argue that this was something he should do but cut himself off. All of Yami's possible words died in his throat when he saw the two triangular ears sticking out from the top of Jou's head. The crimson-eyed teen directed his gaze back to the blond's face, not able to comprehend just how Jou could look like a dog sprite. The bright glow of the flames made Jou's hair and fur appear strawberry red and the other teen seemed somehow stronger than before.

This was not time for questions, however, and finally the star-haired teen managed to speak out: "If you think you're up to it."

Jou flashed Yami a bright grin before saying: "No problem. You can already consider this taken care of." And with that Jou turned to face his opponent.

Suddenly the blond froze in place and stared at the girl. Yami was just about to ask Jou if something was wrong but was cut off when the blond in question drew in a sharp gasp.

"Shizuka?" Jou questioned in a strangled tone of voice and Yami blinked at the blond. Who was Shizuka? The star-haired boy did not need to speak out his question when Jou moved forward ever so slightly. Yami noticed that the blond's feet were not touching the ground but the observation as pushed aside when Jou spoke out, clearly to the girl standing a small distance from them: "Shizuka, what are you doing here?"

"Jou, do you know that girl?" Yami questioned from Jou but the blond did not seem to notice him at all. It was clear that Jou was unable to give attention to anyone other than the mysterious sprite girl.

"Shizuka, it's me", Jou spoke out as he moved slowly closer towards the girl. The girl took a step back every single time when Jou tried to come closer to her and the blond's tone gained a desperate undertone when he pleaded: "Please, Shizuka. Remember me. It's me, Katsuya."

The speaking of the name seemed to trigger something in the girl, since she stopped her attempts to retreat. Yami watched keenly as Jou made his way to the girl and caught her within his arms. Unlike Yami's hold before, however, Jou was not holding the girl captive but merely holding her. The blond was embracing the girl gently and Yami thought he could see life beginning to flicker in the girl's murky green eyes.

"Jou! Yami!" called many voices at the same time and Yami took his attention away from the odd pair in front of him to look behind him and saw the rest of his friends making their way towards them. Seto was at the lead of the group, thanks to his long legs, and rushed past Yami and Yugi without as much as a glance to them. Yami realized immediately that his cousin was headed towards Jou and that was when he finally noted that the way the blond was holding the girl was more than slightly questionable.

"Jou!" Seto shouted out and Yami watched as both Jou and the girl jumped in surprise at the angry yell. Yami's eyes widened when he saw the girl begin to shimmer in Jou's grasp. A moment later the girl was gone.

"Shizuka!" Jou shouted out as he started to glace around into the woods of the forest around them, where he undoubtedly thought the girl had gone to. Jou's actions were put to a stop when Seto's arms captured him from around the waist. The blond struggled against Seto's hold and kept on calling out that name he had been calling the girl by. Jou was unable to escape from the brunet's hold, however.

"Jou, stop!" Seto ordered and pulled Jou flush against himself. "Jou, stop that right now!"

Jou fell limp in Seto's grip then, and Yami watched as the blond's feet landed on the ground again and his ears and tail disappeared. At first Yami thought that Jou had changed because of Seto's command but then he saw Jou's body fall completely limp against Seto. Shooting a brief glance at Yugi Yami noticed that the amethyst eyes of the boy were shimmering, a clear sign that the small boy was aware of Jou's sorrow, even if not the reasons behind it.

Unsure of how to act with the gloomy atmosphere, Yami glanced towards his friends to see Ryou walking closer to him and Yugi. The crimson-eyed teen allowed Ryou to approach Yugi to see if the former sprite was alright. Yami, on the other hand, glanced back towards Seto and Jou. He could not handle the despair that the air seemed to be thick with and attempted to lighten up the mood by retorting: "This is getting rather repeative, don't you think? I mean, how many times has Jou fainted already?"

Seto shot Yami an angry glare, but there was a hint of relief in the normally icy orbs of blue as the brunet shot back: "With the times you and Yugi have been caught making out in public, I don't think you are one to speak."

Yami paused for a moment as he regarded Seto silently. Finally the star-haired teen spoke in a tone of voice that was both annoyed and amused: "You find it endearing when he faints, don't you?"

Before Seto could launch back a retort Jou's voice mumbled from the confines of Seto's jacket: "I don't faint, period."

When Seto's attention was immediately directed back to Jou Yami turned his own focus back to Yugi. His precious little Yugi.

&

Jou did not look like he was handling this well. The blond's face was a sickly pale shade and his eyes were red and puffy from crying and Seto was no happy about that at all. He was feeling devastated as he held Jou's barely conscious, teary-faced body against his chest. Who had that girl been and what did she mean to Jou? She had been beautiful, very much so. There was no way Seto could compete against her if Jou chose that he wanted to be with her.

Those worried thoughts were cut off when Jou's mouth slid open and the blond spoke in a weak, broken voice: "Why…why don't you care about me?" More tears ran down the tear streaks that had not even had a chance to dry out. "Everyone hates me. They always have."

Unable to find the right words to respond Seto only watched silently as Jou's reddened eyes finally slid shut and blond fell limp in his arms. Seto really would have a lot of work to do if he wished to ever call the broken boy he was holding his own. But the brunet would be damned if he gave up because of that unknown girl. He had won Jou over at one point and he would do so again. He would do anything for the precious burden in his arms. He would never give up.

Lifting Jou up into his arms so that he could carry the blond Seto started to make his way to the rest of the group. Yami and Yugi were cuddling on the ground and for once Seto did not have the heart to snap at the two. The twin-haired teens looked like they needed each other's comfort at the moment. Instead Seto decided to wait until the two had been huddled against each other for the long period of two minutes before blurting out: "I think we should head back to the village. You two can be lovey-dovey with each other when we are not in danger of being attacked."

The reluctance was clear on both Yami's and Yugi's faces as the two pulled away from each other and stood up. Together the group started walking back towards Kirusae.

After a while of walking Yami spoke snidely: "You know, Seto. You seem to be in really good shape, thanks to all this carrying around you're doing with Jou."

"This seems to be your new favourite topic to crack jokes about", Seto muttered in a manner that was not amused in the least. "Not only are your jokes bad but they aren't timed well either. There's a serious matter that I need to bring to your attention."

"Oh?" Yami questioned with a lifted eyebrow. "Other than the fact that Jou is a sprite and never told us?"

"Half sprite, actually", Seto corrected absentmindedly before replying: "There is something else, actually. Me and Jou ran into Mai."

Yami's steps faltered at that and Yugi shot an alarmed look at Seto and it was the shorter one of the two who piped out: "What happened? How did you get away?"

"We beat her in a duel", Seto replied in a very smug manner. "She had a partner along with her and they lost to me and Jou. Apparently Jou is enough of a sprite for the forest to renew his magic." The brunet's good mood vanished then. "The witch managed to escape, though."

"She was probably scouting around with her slaves", Ryou commented then. "I mean, she is planning to attack the village, right? She needs information to do that."

"How could you beat Mai? Isn't she supposed to be experienced and all?" Bakura questioned incredulously. Seto directed his gaze at the taller albino and answered: "Apparently the fifth battle level gave us a considerable edge. We were pretty evenly matched even with that advantage."

"Fifth battle level?" Yami questioned curiously. "How did you manage that?"

"How the heck should I know?" Seto snapped, frustrated that he did not really know the answer. "A moment before starting the duel I just felt like it was possible."

"We will have to look into that when we get back to Kirusae", Yami spoke in a decisive tone of voice. "Maybe Yugi's grandfather can shed some light on the matter."

Holding back the urge to sigh, Seto thought that he highly doubted that the man had that much knowledge on human magic. As far as the old man knew humans were not supposed to even be good at practising magic. Still, the elder sprite was the closest thing they had to an expert so they would just have to make due with what they had.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: My exams are now over, meaning that I should be able to get back to updating frequently soon.


	34. History Lesson

The Little Sprite

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 34**

**History Lesson**

Jou was avoiding them. At least, that was the conclusion Seto came to when the blond had not as much as stirred for the past couple of hours. There was no way that the boy could be that tired so it was very likely that he was faking it in order to avoid talking to anyone. It was no wonder, though, since the group kept standing in the doorway to the room, Yami being especially stubborn about leaving. When others had grown bored and wondered off, the star-haired teen stayed leaning against the doorframe. Honestly, had the boy never heard of tact? The least he could do was stand inside the room and close the door. But no, the idiot was acting like this was all about him and Yugi and that Jou did not deserve a bit of privacy.

"Do you mind?" Seto snapped finally, standing up from the chair placed next to Jou's occupied bed. The brunet whirled around to see Yami blinking at him in surprise and snarled: "He isn't going to come back to the world of the living any easier if you stand there watching like a hawk." More likely Jou would not open his eyes at all until Yami was gone. "Go make out with Yugi or something."

"Fine", Yami grumbled with a put out sigh, uncrossing his arms and looking to the side in embarrassment. "Just inform me as soon as he wakes."

"Sure thing", Seto drawled, not about to keep that promise. "I think one person will be enough to tell if he's awake or not." The brunet sat down in his seat. "Just go. And close the door after yourself."

There were no more verbal responses from Yami but Seto heard the door close when his cousin left the room. There was not doubt that the shorter teen was off to do just what Seto had told him to; to find Yugi and possibly spend some so-called quality time with the former sprite.

Finally alone with Jou Seto spoke to the supposedly sleeping blond: "There's no use faking, Jou. I know you're awake."

Seto had to wait for the reaction as Jou apparently wondered if he should respond to the words or not. In the end the brown eyes slid open, only to close immediately afterwards as the blond grimaced from displeasure. Seto caught on to the discomfort and glanced to the pieces of magical fragments that were used to light up the room. The brunet briefly thought about the possibility of him being able to control those sources of light in the same way Bakura could manipulate locks with his powers.

Deciding to give it a try Seto gave a quiet mental order to the lights to weaken their glow and was surprised to see the fragments following the command and dimming. The brunet turned his gaze back to Jou and saw the blond smiling slightly at him, even if it was pale in comparison to the usual ones the teen would flash.

"Romantic", Jou mumbled with a slight chuckle and Seto felt his cheeks flush as he defended: "I just thought that it would be better for your eyes and that headache you're probably suffering from."

The smile on Jou's face turned more sincere before the blond spoke: "Thank you", and sat up to be closer to eyelevel with Seto.

The brunet was almost mesmerized. Jou's eyes looked so bright in the dim lighting and the thin yet full lips were slightly apart to show the blond's teeth in a gentle smile that made Seto want to smile too. The even normally messy strands of blond hair were now even more askew and even in the weak light Seto could see that the tanned cheeks were flushed. All in all, Jou looked absolutely beautiful.

Before Seto was aware of it he had cupped Jou's cheek with his hand and the brown eyes of the shorter teen were blinking at him curiously. The unspoken question was written clearly in those eyes and Seto found himself uttering weakly: "I should have done this ages ago." And with that Seto leaned forward and captured Jou's lips with his own.

It was both exactly what he had imagined, as well as something completely different. Jou's lips were warm and moved against his own with evident eagerness. Seto moved his hand to bury it in the rough to the touch hair and rang his tongue over the slightly chapped lips. It was after that that Seto pulled away, watching Jou's face carefully.

Those brown eyes opened slowly, almost hesitantly, and Seto was faced with a look of utter hopelessness. Seto attempted to smile encouragingly at the smaller boy but did not think it turned out that well and decided to take a different approach. He moved to sit on the edge of the bed beside Jou's legs and wrapped his arms around the other teen's frame.

Jou did not resist Seto's pull and laid his head on the taller teen's shoulder as he was supported against the brunet's side. The half sprite seemed to be content enough but Seto had a feeling that things were not quite settled between them just yet. Resting his head against the top of Jou's own Seto spoke gently: "I don't hate you, Jou, despite what you might think." He squeezed the blond tighter against him. "All those accusations you threw at me, I took none of them seriously and accidentally hurt you. I apologise for that and hope that you will see that I reacted that way simply because of how untrue they were."

Only silence came as response and Seto wondered if Jou was taking him seriously at all. The brunet was worried that he might actually have to be the first to utter those three words that would leave him completely vulnerable unless the smaller boy returned them.

A hand grasped a hold of the front of Seto's shirt, bringing the brunet's eyes to the appendage in question. The grip was firm as Jou's voice spoke quietly: "If Yami came in demanding answers, would you defend me?"

That was what had Seto realizing just how alone Jou must have been feeling at that moment. No wonder the blond had put off facing anyone as much as he could. The boy must have been frightened beyond comparison and that fear was brought on by his friends of all people.

"Of course", Seto answered and nuzzled his head further into the blond hair of the boy in his arms. "I won't let anyone harm you or make you feel threatened."

"Thank you", came the choked response as Jou clung to Seto even more desperately than before. Then the blond shifted in the brunet's arms, moving to sit on his lap. The action had Seto blushing bright red as Jou tucked his head under his chin. Even though Seto had never complained having to carry the boy around, the blond's weight was rather uncomfortable when on top of his legs. He certainly hoped that Jou would feel like getting off before Seto's legs fell asleep.

Suddenly something wet and warm caressed Seto's neck, causing the brunet to jump. Jou's arms also moved to wrap around the tall teen's back as the brunet recognized the sensations against his skin as the ones caused by Jou licking him.

This time around Seto did not react to the action with his lower head, finally understanding that Jou did not see anything sexual about licking him. It was in the blond's genes to show affection this way, no matter how much Seto wished it to be something more.

There was still a small spark of jealousy in Seto's heart as the brunet wondered if Jou had done this often before. The tall teen could not stand the thought of his puppy lapping at someone else's skin.

"Seto?" Jou's voice questioned, bringing the brunet's eyes focusing on the shorter boy's curious expression. "What are you thinking about?" The blond licked the corner of Seto's mouth slightly. "Are you uncomfortable with me doing this?"

"Not at all", Seto replied and wondered if he could get away with licking the blond back. "I was just thinking if you've acted this much like a puppy before."

"Not really", came Jou's response before the blond's head came to rest on Seto's shoulder. "I think it's this forest. My mom was probably born in this village."

"I can't help but be a bit curious about that", Seto commented. "I was wondering if I had made the right connection."

"Connection?" Jou questioned and tilted his head slightly. "What are you talking about, Seto?"

"Your mother was the sprite in that story Otogi told us, wasn't she?" Seto asked. "That explains why you cried when he was finished. You were so sad because it was your story." The brunet squeezed Jou tighter against him. "Am I right?"

"…Yes", Jou replied after a while. "I don't remember much about what happened, since I was so young, but I do know that Shizuka had ears all the time. I looked human so Mai was not interested in me. It's a bit hazy, but I do remember the day she was taken away."

"And when Otogi told you that story, you were reminded of what happened", Seto concluded softly. "I understand."

Jou's hands tightened their grip on Seto's shirt as the boy whimpered: "Seto…"

"What is it?" Seto asked. Jou's arms came up around Seto's neck and the blond moved around to sit in Seto's lap so that he was straddling the brunet's hips. This allowed the half sprite to look Seto in the eye. The human found himself staring into Jou's expressive eyes as the blond spoke: "I love you."

"Ah", Seto mouthed, completely speechless. Later on he would sigh in relief for not gaping like an idiot even when caught so off guard.

A slightly put out expression came over Jou's face as the half sprite leaned his forehead against Seto's own and said in a slightly annoyed manner: "Are you going to answer me or just stare at me like that for the rest of the day?" The blond's nose brushed against Seto's own briefly, snapping the brunet to attention. "I'm sure there's something you have to say to that."

"Jou, I…" Seto started but trailed off with a sigh. He smiled slightly as he placed his hands on Jou's hips and guided the blond to sit on the bed mattress on his left side. Seto felt a lot more confident talking to Jou when the blond's eyes were lower than his. Lifting a hand to a tan cheek Seto finally said: "I love you too."

The effect those words had on Jou was certainly a positive one. The smile that spread on the blond's face was brighter than any other Seto had ever seen and immediately afterwards the smaller boy threw himself into Seto's arms with a happy call of the human's name.

Seto was certain that if Jou had been in his sprite form, then the shorter teen's tail would have been wagging uncontrollably. The brunet was very pleased with himself because of that. For once he had been the one to cause Jou to be so happy. It was a nice change after seeing the blond cry because of him.

&

"He can't possibly stay asleep this long", Yami growled in a displeased manner. Yugi released a soft sight at his boyfriend's impatience and a couple of the other people gathered around the dining room table rolled their eyes at the crimson-eyed human. Yami had been making these comments for quite some time now and it was getting on everyone's nerves.

"Perhaps today was a very bad emotional shock for him", Yugi spoke in a calming manner. "I mean, he _did_ know that girl."

"Exactly", Yami grumbled. "How did Jou know that girl? He even called her by name. She was Sizu-something."

"Shizuka", came Bakura's comment from the other side of the table. Everyone turned their eyes to the white-haired teen, who ran his hand through his hair as he muttered: "Jou mentioned having a sister named Shizuka a couple of times. That girl in the forest must have been her."

"Why didn't you mention any of this sooner?" Yami snapped and Yugi attempted to calm the other down by laying a hand on his arm. Bakura shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, clearly not interested in Yami's discomfort with the situation.

"I didn't remember it at first", Bakura said calmly. "Jou never talked about his family much with me, and I can see why he didn't."

"We're going to be in big trouble if that girl really is Jou's sister", Yami groaned and leaned back in his seat. Yugi dared to let go of the teen's arm, convinced that the boy was not going to be snapping at Bakura again. The former sprite pursed his lips together when Yami continued: "How can we know for sure that Jou won't betray us in order to help his sister?"

Even though Yugi would have wanted to deny Yami's words and say that they should trust Jou, he could not do that without being a hypocrite. The sad thing was that Yugi agreed with Yami. There was a very high chance of Jou abandoning them to simply assure that his sister was not harmed.

"That's ridiculous", Bakura spat out forcefully and Yugi actually snapped at the biting tone. He looked over to the white-haired boy to see Bakura grimacing in distaste before continuing: "Jou is rather goofy and irresponsible but he is not a complete retard. Jou knows that the best way to save his sister is for us to defeat Mai. He won't cross us like that."

"You seem to be pretty confident in your claims", Malik spoke out. "Do you really know him that well?"

"I know him better than you lot", Bakura shot and turned his head to stare at a wall in a disinterested manner. "Jou hasn't as much as seen his sister in years, as far as I can tell. It's very unlikely that he would act completely unreasonable for a person he hardly knows, no matter how caring he can be."

Yugi smiled at Bakura when the other teen finished with his little speech. He wanted to believe Bakura so badly that he might have been a bit biased when he nodded his head in agreement to Bakura's words. Hopefully Jou would be able to keep a cool head about him and even if he could not, there was still Seto. Jou was in love with Seto so he would not walk away on them if the brunet simply told him not to.

"You know", Otogi started from Yugi's left side. "This reminds me a lot about that story my grandmother used to tell me, the one with the sprite woman and human man."

"You think the children in the story are Jou and his sister?" Yugi concluded with a questioning tone. The raven-haired teen nodded in response and when he did, Ryou spoke out: "It really seems like it. It would also explain why Jou reacted so strongly to the story. I mean, he was crying and he doesn't really seem like a person who cries easily."

"Right", Yami grunted and then stood up. Yugi glanced curiously at the human and questioned: "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go check on Seto and Jou. Maybe he's awake", Yami replied and Yugi held back a groan at his boyfriend's predictability. With a put on sigh the former sprite stood up as well and spoke: "Then I will come with you to make sure you don't do anything stupid."

"What could I possibly do that could be considered stupid?" Yami questioned with a devil-may-care grin. The comment was immediately followed by Bakura's drawl of: "Too many options to count."

The crimson eyes focused a glare on Bakura as Yami growled: "Are you trying to start something?"

Bakura looked extremely bored as he sat slumped in his seat and spoke slowly: "No, not really. I was just pointing out your inability to see things from anyone else's point of view."

"I don't care about your opinion", Yami sniffed indignantly before turning to Yugi. "You support me, don't you Yugi?"

"Well", Yugi started in an awkward manner. "You do seem to have a small inability to 'think outside the fence', so to speak."

"'Box', Yugi. The term you're looking for is 'think outside the box'", Ryou said helpfully from his seat beside Bakura. Yugi shot the fair human a slight smile before turning to Yami again, trying to look as innocent as possible. He did not want Yami to get offended because that would lead to the human brooding the rest of the day in protest. So, it was with exaggerated enthusiasm that Yugi spoke to Yami: "No worries. I will be there with you. Let's go." And with that Yugi grasped Yami's arm and dragged the taller teen out of the dining room and towards the room Seto and Jou were occupying. Yugi really hoped that Jou had managed to wake up already because he doubted that Yami had the patience to let him sleep any more.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Hookay, next time we will have Bakura and Ryou bonding with each other while Seto let's Yami hear his opinion about his behviour. If can just get it written that it.

And speaking of writing, I very much apologise for the lack of updates. I started reading Fullmetal Alchemist manga and it sent into a fangirlish fit, causing me to completely lose my inspiration for Yu-Gi-Oh stories. Fortunately it has started to pass and I came out of it unharmed. In other words, I didn't get swamped by a gigantic pile of FMA fanfic ideas. Thank heavens for that small miracle. At any matter, I'm still not making promises for when I will be updating again but I will try very hard to get complete chapters done for my stories within the next two weeks.


	35. Confessions

The Little Sprite

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 35**

**Confessions**

Yugi followed Yami up the stairs and to the room Jou and Seto shared. He was determined to see where Yami was going with this all, even when an intense feeling of dread grew in the pit of his stomach. He did not really want to see his boyfriend do anything rash when Jou was clearly not completely alright but he did not have any choice in the matter as long as he wanted to make sure that Yami did not offend Jou in any manner.

When Yami opened the door to the room Yugi slipped into the doorway at the same moment as Yami entered the room and froze at what he saw. A rosy blush rose to his cheeks and his eyes widened as he stared in surprise at the sight displayed before him and Yami.

Jou was definitely awake but was clearly not free for Yami's questioning. This was because the blond was occupied with Seto. The two were lying on the bed set against the far wall of the room with Seto on top and the pair was making out with a passion that Yugi had not yet dared to attempt with Yami.

No matter how much Yugi wanted to turn away he could not, only able to think how he would simply love to have Yami doing to him what Seto was doing to Jou. The taller teen was currently kissing up and down Jou's throat and when the blond suddenly gasped and whimpered at the same time Yugi came to the conclusion that Seto must have been a biter.

Captivated by the sight in front of him Yugi did not notice the outraged look Yami was sporting, nor was he aware of how stiff the teen next to him was. The only indication to Yami's anger at the situation was when the crimson-eyed boy bellowed heatedly: "What the heck is going on here?"

&

Ryou almost jumped out of his seat when he heard Yami's yell. He shot a startled glance towards the direction where the sound had come from while Marik got up from his seat and spoke: "Sounds like trouble." The wolf sprite's tone of voice was all too cheerful was he added: "Who wants to go watch?"

There was a grumble from Malik, one that Ryou did not quite catch, and the fox sprite also got up from the table.

"I guess we'd better go check out what manages to shock Yami that badly", Malik commented. Marik grinned widely at the shorter sprite before responding: "And then we can do it too."

"Don't be stupid", Malik said without any real malice and made his way out of the dining room with Marik following right behind him. A short moment passed before Otogi also stood up and followed after the two, the raven-haired teen in turn followed closely by Honda, who did not seem to want to be separated from Otogi. With all four males now out of the room Ryou was left alone with Bakura, making the room in question feel all too big all of a sudden.

"Don't you want to follow and see what's going on?" Ryou asked from his darker counterpart, who shook his head and leaned back in his chair before replying: "No, not really. I already know what caused Yami to bellow like that."

"Oh", Ryou uttered and wringed his hands together nervously. "I hope everything is alright."

"I can assure you that everything is as alright as it can be with Yami walking in on Seto and Jou making out", came Bakura's response and Ryou's eyes widened with shock. The shorter teen turned his head to face the other fully as he spoke incredulously: "How do you know that it's something like that?"

A short chuckle came from Bakura before the tall albino smiled at his smaller companion and said: "I've known Jou for a couple of years now and Kaiba is easy enough to read. The two have been pining after each other for a long time and they are sure to grasp any chance they get to further their relationship."

"I see", Ryou mumbled and frowned as he thought about his next words. Finally he managed to utter out: "And what about you? How long have you been pining after me now?"

Bakura lifted a questioning eyebrow at Ryou's words and the shorter boy felt himself blush when those murky brown eyes studied him closely. Swallowing a lump that had formed in the back of his throat Ryou spoke: "I mean, I think that I might be willing to further my relationship with you, if you feel the same." Ryou's voice gained a bit more confidence then. "I think I'm ready for that."

Suddenly Bakura looked a lot less threatening in Ryou's eyes. That might have had something to do with a blush that was quickly taking over the taller teen's face. Ryou was surprised that Bakura would react like that; he was no fool. Ryou was very much aware of Bakura's experience with the opposite and same sex so he did not think that there was any reason for Bakura to suddenly turn bashful on him. Or then it was that thing Bakura had told Ryou about; maybe Ryou was just that much more special than the rest.

"Oh, Ryou", Bakura started, his words coming out as a gasp. "I would like nothing more. Nothing!" At the next instant Ryou's hands were grasped between Bakura's own and Ryou found himself meeting the other teen's intense gaze. "Ryou, my precious Ryou."

If possible, Ryou was blushing even darker then. He knew Bakura was passionate so of course the taller boy would act aggressive but this silent intensity was not what Ryou had expected. To be completely truthful, Ryou had been certain that Bakura would jump him the instant he uttered his invitation to the other and not whisper broken sentences in a fit of sudden affection. Displays of affection were not really something Bakura seemed adept at.

It was rather painful to watch Bakura fight for words that might not come at all, so Ryou decided to put the taller boy out of his misery. He leaned over their united hands and pressed his lips to the other's own in a clumsy and fleeting kiss.

Ryou felt a sudden wave of warmth from that simple contact. To the boy it felt like a strong hug in front of a lit fireplace during a dark night. It was pure comfort and so very right. It was the embodiment of all of Ryou's romantic dreams and finally the boy understood why, of all people, he had fallen for Bakura.

The two of them fit, plain and simple.

&

After releasing Seto from his tight hug Jou pulled away with an overjoyed blush and nervous grin. Seto merely smiled softly back and something about that subtle expression was so very encouraging that Jou had the sudden desire to _move_.

"Seto", Jou started as he moved to sit on his knees on the bed. "Ah", the blond trailed off, the gentle flush on his cheeks darkening into a burning blush. Not able to find the right words to make Seto understand he moved around the brunet and lay down on the bed behind Seto, the brunet turning around to look at him curiously.

"What are you doing?" Seto questioned and Jou rolled off his side to lie on his back, looking up at Seto and feeling more nervous than ever before. Noticing that Seto was watching him intently and perhaps even hungrily Jou wetted his suddenly dry lips with the tip of his tongue before speaking: "I haven't been fair to you, Seto."

Reaching out with a hand Jou grabbed a hold of the front of Seto's shirt and tugged to brunet to come closer to him. He pushed down the urge to run off and hide somewhere to hide and continued to speak: "Come here."

Comprehension seemed to finally dawn on Seto's face and the brunet stared at Jou incredulously before saying: "Are you absolutely certain now?"

"Yes I am", Jou spoke slowly, pressing each word in a desperate need to make Seto understand. And it was apparent that the brunet did, since he moved over to Jou and allowed to blond to guide his body so that he was straddling the shorter boy's hips. Jou's hands moved to the back of Seto's neck and he pulled the brunet's head down while he spoke: "I know you want this, Seto, and I'm finally brave enough to let you." The two teens' lips brushed together. "Show me, Seto. Show me how you do this."

Seto felt so warm to Jou. It was an alleviating feeling to have the other male so close to him physically but Jou felt that it was not nearly enough. He parted his lips invitingly when Seto's mouth descended on his own and was immediately rewarded with Seto's tongue plunging into his mouth to caress his own firmly and slowly.

The kiss was long and intense and had Jou gasping for breath when Seto finally pulled away. The blond boy's laboured breathing was broken by a moan that broke out of his mouth when Seto's lips attached themselves to Jou's neck, sucking on the skin hungrily.

Jou's knees bended themselves as the boy grasped onto Seto's forearms in a desperate effort to have something ground him as pleasure raked through his body at every suck and lick from Seto. Jou felt his body burn and all sounds that he was able to release were nothing more than high-pitched syllables without any real meaning behind them.

Soft kisses rained on the skin of Jou's throat as Seto's hands travelled down to the blond's waist. Just when Jou became aware that that was exactly where he wanted them to be Seto bit down on his throat, causing him to release a whimper that was far from masculine. Deciding that it did not matter as long as Seto just took off his pants Jou was severely disappointed when Seto's ministrations on his body were stopped by a voice bellowing: "What the heck is going on here?"

Reacting faster than Jou, Seto lifted his head to glare at his cousin for interrupting while Jou was a bit slower to fully comprehend just who it was that had barged in on them. Struck with a by now familiar feeling of apprehension Jou clutched on the front of Seto's shirt, seeking out comfort and security from the one person who could protect him.

"Is there any specific reason why you are attempting to blow everyone's ears off?" Seto drawled in a completely controlled manner. There was some sputtering from Yami then and Jou pushed on Seto's chest a bit as a signal for wanting to sit up. Seto moved upwards on the bed, pulling Jou up along with him as he sat on the mattress with Jou sitting within a distance of a couple of inches from him.

"Damn it, Seto!" Yami snapped angrily. "What do you think you're doing making out with him?"

The glare Seto responded to Yami's yells with was pure poison as the brunet spoke: "I was thinking that it was the one thing I have wanted longer than anything else."

"You were supposed to inform me when he woke up!" Yami argued heatedly. "You were _not_ supposed to sleep with him!"

"I would hardly call a make out session sleeping with someone", Seto spoke in a tone of voice that sounded like a whisper in comparison to Yami's loud yells. "Besides, Jou needed the reassurance that I could offer him and, as much as it must bruise you ego, he comes before you."

Grateful for the strong defence Seto was granting him, Jou grabbed one of Seto's hands and pulled it to his lap where he could run his fingers over the smooth, warm skin. Seto's fingers brushed against Jou's hand in response but the brunet's eyes never left those of his cousin while he continued: "Now, Yami, you have two choices. Either you start acting reasonably or I will use force to remove you from this room. Jou had been through enough and he does not need you to verbally assault him."

"When have I assaulted him?" Yami demanded in outrage. "I've only been yelling at you here!"

"You assault him when you speak of him in such a disrespectful manner", Seto growled in response. "You speak like he is not even present in this room and you refuse to as much as use his name. Jou has done nothing wrong and doesn't deserve that."

"Nothing wrong?" Yami repeated and his hands were clenched into tight fists. "He has been lying to us and keeping things secret from us! We're a team and in a team everyone sticks together!"

"Exactly", Seto retorted. "You seem to believe that very strongly, so why are you abandoning Jou now that he needs to be supported?" Seto's hand was squeezing Jou's own tightly. "He had to watch his sister be taken away from him and now you tear away your friendship? You're a hypocrite, Yami." That last part was spat out with pure malice and Jou was actually startled by it.

There were some sounds from outside the room, signalling that others were coming to witness the fight as well. Jou watched silently how Seto calmed himself down again, clearly not liking the thought of anyone else seeing him spout such uncharacteristic words of fellowship. But, Jou supposed, one could not spend so much time in Yami's presence without picking up things.

Jou turned his eyes to Yami and was disappointed to see that Seto had not managed to shoot Yami down. Actually, the crimson-eyed youth looked even angrier now. Jou also saw the new arrivals arrive in the doorway but did not really pay any attention to them when movement from Yugi caught his attention.

The former sprite made his way away from Yami's side and knelt down on the floor in front of Jou. It was a sign of Yugi not agreeing with Yami's way of handling things and Jou shot a quick glance at the teen in question to see him looking startled.

"Jou", Yugi started out calmly and gently, the tone immediately calming Jou down as well. "Will you tell us your story?"

Unable to fight back his smile Jou flashed Yugi a brilliant grin as he replied: "Sure." He kept his gaze on Yugi, as if telling the story to the short boy alone, as he spoke: "You remember that story Otogi told us? Well, it has more truth in it than expected. It's actually a detailed description of how my mom and dad ended up together.

"My parents loved each other a lot and mom especially was a very family-oriented person. It was important to her that Shizuka and I were happy above anything else.

"Shizuka was born as a sprite, while I was born as a human. Back then I didn't know why we moved but later on I knew that it had been an attempt to escape Mai. She wanted my sister and my parents were not going to just give her up.

"When I was just a little kid, I always wondered about why Shizuka looked different and one day I played with the thought of looking like her. That was when I learned how to change between being a sprite and a human.

"I didn't tell my parents about it, since they were so upset about Shizuka and after a couple of years one of Mai's henchmen appeared.

"He was a really big guy with long, spiky and dark hair and tan skin. He was part shark and really strong. He took Shizuka away."

"That sounds like Ryouta", Marik commented from the doorway suddenly, drawing everyone's eyes to him. "I don't remember him too well, since I didn't know him for long. Mai devoured his soul soon after Ishizu and I entered her service."

"Mom blamed herself for what happened", Jou continued then. He pulled Seto's hand slightly closer to his chest as he continued: "She wanted to bring Shizuka back and left to search for a way. She never same back so I guess she did not survive the trip." The warmth radiating from the body next to him was a great comfort when Jou remembered that most painful part of the tale. There was a gasp from Yugi and Jou thought he heard the small boy mutter something about a graveyard and Jou also remembered how he had scanned the grave markers for his mother's name, never finding it.

"Dad did not take it so well and I guess that's why I never showed anyone what I truly was", Jou explained softly. "I was so sure that I would be shunned if people knew about my genes and I became so accustomed to hiding my lineage that I became unable to stop."

The room was quiet after that and Jou became aware of how worn he felt all of a sudden. The one thing he wanted to do then was to curl up and sleep. He leaned against Seto's side and closed his eyes, hoping that he would finally be left at peace now.

"Jou", Yami's voice spoke quietly and Jou opened his heave eyelids to look at the teen in question. "I didn't realize your story is so filled with pain. I apologise." And with that the crimson-eyed youth turned around and walked out of the room. The others soon followed after him, leaving Jou alone with Seto right there beside him.

"Thank you", Jou mumbled against the brunet's arm, nuzzling the appendage in question. "I love you."

A brief kiss was pressed against his forehead in response, meaning both 'you are welcome' and 'I love you too'.

_**To be continued…**_


	36. Plan of Action

The Little Sprite

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 36**

**Plan of Action**

"You must think I'm such a jerk", Yami muttered when he and Yugi were sitting on the bed in his room. The crimson-eyed youth had headed there to meditate and Yugi had followed in after him, saying that it was most unbecoming of Yami to sulk like a scolded child. Which had left to Yami feeling like Yugi did not love him very much at the moment.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic", Yugi muttered and brought his arms around Yami's neck. "I know you were only thinking about me. That doesn't mean that you're a jerk; it means that you have a one-track mind." Yami allowed his smaller counterpart pull his down so that his head was resting against a slim shoulder. "Jou probably thinks you're a jerk, though. But that doesn't really matter since he has Seto to cheer him up."

Bringing his arms around his boyfriend's waist Yami breathed in the scent of his love before speaking: "And I have you to make _me_ feel better."

"All in a day's work, love", Yugi said and Yami held him even tighter as he growled out: "Then allow me to show you my appreciation." And with that the two bodies fell down on the mattress.

&

"Seto?" Jou questioned from the brunet lying beside him on the bed. The deep blue eyes of the other teen turned to the blond's own and Seto hummed in acknowledgement. "What would have happened if we hadn't succeeded in activating Battle Level Five?"

A brief silence followed, ended when Seto finally replied: "All of our magic would have been zapped away and we would have automatically lost that battle."

Not liking the sound of that, or the thoughts of the certain scenario, Jou asked: "How did you know that it would work?"

"I felt it", came Seto's response and Jou waited for the brunet to elaborate, which he did. "The moment I started to active the battle arena, I felt a connection. I knew then, that the final battle level was possible to be activated, as long as it was you and me."

"I see", Jou mumbled thoughtfully. Finally, he smiled in satisfaction at the answer and brought his arm around Seto's hip to cuddle up to the taller body.

"What is it?" Seto questioned, his tone curious instead of angry at the affectionate gesture. Jou's smile grew even wider when he realized that and he replied in a bright tone of voice: "I just find it nice, that's all."

&

It was really a wonder how Bakura ended up falling for a person like Ryou. The two of them were complete opposite in almost everything. When Bakura had finally gotten the hang of making out in the dining room, Ryou had called it quits, saying that it was too public of a place for anything more than the kissing they had done.

Still, even though that had been a disappointment, Bakura was feeling satisfied. Ryou had finally confessed to the two of them having an actual relationship and that meant that Bakura was now free to kiss Ryou whenever he felt like it. Unless Ryou was changing clothes.

After two had gone to their room after dinner to get ready for bed, Bakura had gotten the idea to continue from where he and Ryou had left off before dining. That had not ended well when Ryou had blushed a fiery red, squeaked in a feminine manner and finally frozen Bakura's fingers with his powers. By the time the taller teen could feel his fingers again Ryou had managed to completely change his attire to his pajamas and had kissed Bakura's fingers as an apology, something Bakura had enjoyed immensely.

When Ryou had been done with his ministrations Bakura had put on his own nightclothes and had started to attempt to convince Ryou to share a bed with him.

"I think it would be a good way to explore our new-found relationship", Bakura insisted when Ryou remained sceptical. "I promise I won't grope you or anything."

"I hope you realize that if you break that promise I won't trust you in this ever again", Ryou commented and Bakura grinned widely as he questioned: "Does that mean you agree?"

"Yes", Ryou replied with a defeated sigh. "But only because it seems to mean so much to you." And with that the shorter boy climbed to bed with Bakura following eagerly after him.

"Can I at least hold you?" Bakura questioned when he lifted the blanket over his and Ryou's bodies. That finally bought a smile to Ryou's face as the smaller teen replied: "That's what I expect you to do."

Bakura threw his arm over Ryou's slim body and the shorter teen snuggled up to him, bringing his soft locks close enough to Bakura's face for the taller albino to smell their soft scent.

"This in nice", Ryou mumbled in a dreamy manner, to which Bakura replied: "Sure is", and yawned widely. There was a chuckle from Ryou, followed by the boy speaking: "Ah, Bakura?" Bakura hummed in acknowledgement and Ryou continued: "There's something I'd like to ask before we go to sleep."

"Sure", Bakura said in an offhanded manner. "Go ahead."

"I was just wondering how you and Jou became friends in the first place", Ryou commented. "No offence, but you are more the type to push people away than befriend them."

"None taken", Bakura grumbled and frowned as he thought back to his first meeting with one loudmouthed teen. "He befriended me, actually. I never thought much of it but I think I understand it now."

"What is there to understand?" Ryou questioned curiously. "You don't need a reason to become friends."

"But you need one to try and make contact with someone", Bakura insisted. "I was an outcast and Jou has never been able to fit in either, at least not in his mind."

A thoughtful hum came from Ryou, followed by the boy speaking: "I supposed knowing that you're a different species can do that."

"Jou's always been loud and rude. I guess that was his way of keeping people from getting too close", Bakura explained and snorted then. "I should know, I do it enough. And yet he approached me, and it was because we were the same in a way." Bakura grimaced in displeasure. "I have taken him for granted all these years. I should do something."

Ryou's hand caressed the bottom of Bakura's chin, offering companionship and understanding. The taller albino's eyes slid shut as he merely enjoyed the feeling, almost missing Ryou's small piece of advice: "I think saying 'thanks' might be a nice start."

&

A sensation of hunger woke Jou up from his peaceful rest against Seto's side. Not about to simply lie there with his stomach rumbling the blond climbed out of the bed carefully. He moved as silently as he could so that he would not wake the still slumbering Seto and made his way out of the room and downstairs to the kitchen in a search for something small to eat.

The blond ended up leaning against the table in the kitchen while he chewed at a bun. He heard the barely noticeable scuffle of footsteps from right outside the kitchen doorway and immediately recognized the footfalls in question to belong to a certain person.

"Yo, Bakura", Jou greeted and turned his head to see that his guess had been right as Bakura entered the kitchen with a shake of his head and a mumbled: "How the heck do you do that?"

"Easy", Jou replied with a cheeky grin. "You sneak around like a burglar. No one else in this house does that." The blond actually snickered at the outraged look on Bakura's face but stifled the sound by bringing the soft bun to his mouth again.

"What did you come here for?" Jou questioned after a moment while Bakura leaned against a wall that faced him. "Why are you even awake at this hour?"

"I was sort of hoping that you would come down for a midnight snack since you did not eat dinner", Bakura confessed and crossed his arms, trying to appear nonchalant. "I sort of wanted to talk to you."

"Go ahead and talk", Jou replied as he munched on his snack some more. There was a long silence as Bakura apparently thought about what to say and just when Jou was about to make a remark the albino spoke: "I just wanted to say thanks."

Blinking in surprise Jou looked at the other teen in confusion as he questioned: "Whatever for?"

Bakura turned his face to the side, refusing to meet Jou's eye, as he grumbled: "You didn't have to befriend me that time and I never thought much about it."

"…Okay", Jou breathed out slowly, scratching the back of his head. He felt both confused and embarrassed and that was probably why he blurted out: "Are you feeling alright, Bakura?"

There was a humiliated flush on Bakura's face as the albino snapped his head to Jou's direction and snarled: "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" The teen stuffed his hands into his pockets almost violently and Jou actually felt a bit sorry for reacting the way he did. So, he tried to make things better by speaking out: "You're welcome."

With those words Bakura's gaze turned to the floor while Jou could not help but smile at the white-haired teen's antics. The blond then questioned: "Could you help me with something?"

Bakura lifted his gaze up curiously and Jou started to explain: "There's something that I need to do but I'm going to need help. I don't think anyone here would agree with me but I though that maybe…" Jou trailed off at the end, unsure of how to continue. Bakura seemed to get the main idea, though, and hummed in an amused manner before replying: "Look, Jou. You've helped me drag a whole pot of that horrid breakfast porridge the cafeteria serves through the entire school. You even helped me set the trap that poured the stuff all over our meditation teacher." The albino flashed Jou a grin that was all teeth. "I think it's safe to say that I am in on it, whatever it is."

"I guess this in my turn to say thanks, then?" Jou spoke with a wide grin. The blond released a brief chuckle before continuing: "I also sat the detention with you, you know."

"Don't remind me of that", Bakura grunted. "I'm trying to forget that part of the story."

"I get what you mean", Jou said in an amused manner. "Doing the whole thing was almost enough fun to make it worth that detention, but only almost."

A nod came as a response from Bakura, followed by the albino starting in a slow drawl: "So…" He looked at Jou with interest. "What is it that you are going to need my help with?"

Deciding that it would be better to simply get this over and done with Jou went straight to the point. Despite their previous light conversation it was with a perfectly straight face that he replied simply: "I'm going to buy my sister back from Mai."

&

Bakura stared at the blond for a while, certain that he had heard wrong. Finally, he managed to blurt out: "Say what?"

"I said that I'm going to buy my sister back", Jou replied in an irate manner. "I won't have her get in the middle of our fight with Mai. I wouldn't put it past that witch to use her against us. I won't let that happen." That last bit was spoken with such conviction that Bakura immediately knew that there was no way he could talk Jou out of this.

"Okay", Bakura said in defeat. "How do you plan to accomplish this?" That was something he really wanted to know. It was not that Jou was an idiot per se; it was just that the blond hardly ever thought anything through that might result in him creating more problems than he manages to fix with his actions.

"I'm going to offer myself to her in Shizuka's place", Jou replied and must have noticed the outraged look on Bakura's face when he continued: "I know that this sounds crazy but I do know what I'm about to do."

"Fine", Bakura growled, deciding to give his friend the benefit of the doubt. "What are you about to do?"

"I'm going to trick her a bit", Jou said in a manner that had Bakura thinking back to all the pranks they had done at school. They had only left a couple of days ago and yet those days felt like they were from a different life entirely.

"The plan is to make the deal sound like Mai is going to be getting more than she will be losing", Jou continued. "We need to make sure that she has a disadvantage in the next battle since she is very likely to make herself stronger after losing yesterday."

"How the heck is trading yourself for your sister going to give Mai a disadvantage?" Bakura argued. "I think it's obvious that you are the stronger one of you two."

"The point is not in the strength of our magic", Jou insisted. "If Mai acts like I expect her to, then it doesn't matter how strong I am."

"Look, Jou, you sound really certain about this but this is a really important matter. If your plan fails, the results won't be pretty", Bakura spoke, trying to reason with the blond. Jou did not seem to care about his objections, though, when he continued on: "Seto gave me the idea, you know. Seto doesn't make mistakes so there's nothing to worry about."

"Stop being such a fan boy", Bakura snapped angrily. "If you care so much about Kaiba, then why are you risking the chance of ending up fighting against him?"

"Because that's where you come in", Jou replied simply and made his way over to Bakura. He grabbed the albino's arm and started dragging him out of the kitchen and into the entrance hall. "We need to get going before anyone hears us."

Bakura did not say anything after that and it was when the two of them had closed the front door behind them and started to walk through the village that Jou started to speak again: "Mai is very likely to use me as her partner so I need to you to make sure that our opponents are Yami and Yugi, despite what anyone else might say."

"I'm pretty sure that Yami is going to insist on getting to pound Mai but how do you plan on coming out unscratched?" Bakura queried.

"I might end up with some bruises but it will be worth it if we can render Mai defenceless", Jou replied. "I'm sure that once that time comes, Yami and Yugi will know what to do to make Mai free all of her prisoners."

"Okay, I understand what you want me to do now", Bakura spoke right as the two made their way through the village barrier. "But why am I accompanying you on this trip? And how do you plan on finding Mai?"

"You're going to take Shizuka safely back to the village", Jou replied and removed the magical pendant Sugoroku had given him from around his neck. "You'd better take this so that Mai won't use it to get to the village."

Bakura accepted the item and stuffed it away into a pocket before directing his attention back to Jou and speaking out: "And what about Mai? How do you plan on contacting her?"

"She knew when we were outside of the village", Jou replied. "That's the only way she could have known when the arrive here. I think she has a way of watching the forest and knowing when there's someone moving around here."

"Sound plausible", Bakura confessed and nodded his head in agreement. "So, what do you plan on using as your extra edge to get Mai to want you instead of your sister?"

"You'll see soon enough", Jou replied and Bakura saw the blond shift before his eyes and a moment later the blond was on eye-level with him. Jou's dog-ears twitched a bit, as if listening to their surroundings. Bakura did not doubt that Jou was doing exactly that and followed dutifully after his friend as they wondered around in the night.

It did not take long as a brief shimmering light caught their attention and the two boys turned their heads just in time to see a woman materialize to their left. She had tan skin and long black hair and Bakura recognized her to be part wolf.

"You two are clearly looking for trouble, wandering around during nighttime alone", the woman commented in a calm tone of voice. "What are you up to?"

"We need to talk to Mai", Jou spoke out. "Bring her here."

"Why should I?" the woman questioned. "I don't need to take orders from you."

"I have a deal for her", Jou replied. "I think she might be interested in what I have to offer."

"Very well", came the response then and Bakura was actually surprised to have things go their way so easily. "The mistress has agreed to hear you out." With that the woman shimmered away and Jou shot Bakura a nervous grin.

"It's showtime."

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Guess what time it is? It's the time for the amazingly complicated and difficult to follow phase which will eventually lead to the end of the story but only after a long series of tedious plot twists and turns. And I have a feeling everyone is going to hate me for it…

On another note: Yugi is uncomfortable with having sex with Yami in his grandfather's house. Because of this he and Yami only made out in Yami's bed despite everything else it could have been used for.


	37. Best Laid Plans

The Little Sprite

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 37**

**Best Laid Plans**

Soon enough another form appeared in place of the disappeared wolf sprite. The new arrival was a female sprite as well but she had large bird wings on her back and long, curly blond hair. Her deep purple eyes pierced through the darkness and Bakura just knew that this had to be the witch Mai, since he doubted there were many people who could have such cold, uncaring eyes.

"Mai", Jou spoke out and Bakura had his suspicions confirmed as the woman answered: "What brings you little dears out here so late, to bargain with me no less?"

"I want you to let Shizuka go", Jou spoke out, going straight to the point. An amused expression came over Mai's face before she queried: "And why would I do something like that?"

"Because I'm offering to come to her place", Jou answered without the slightest bit of hesitation in his voice. "And I would be much more valuable to you."

"What makes you think you would be of any worth to me?" Mai asked in a tone of voice that indicated that she really did not see Jou as being worth anything. But Jou was not about to give up so soon into the fight and replied: "I think you will hardly be able to keep your greedy fingers away from me when you hear just what I can do for you."

"Oh?" Mai uttered and arched one of her slim, perfect eyebrows. "Tell me then, little dog, what you can do for me."

A smirk appeared on Jou's face and Bakura knew that the blond was certain that he had caught the woman now. He stayed silent as his friend spoke out: "I can help you access the final battle level."

"What?" came the hiss from Mai and Bakura fought back his own similar reaction to Jou's words. Mai came closer to them, looking at Jou with such intensity that Bakura suspected that she had forgotten that the albino was even there.

"Wasn't that what that human told you? 'It's all in the partner'? And I just happen to be the perfect partner", Jou said this all with such confidence, such strong arrogance that if Bakura had not known Jou for years he would have bought it. And so Mai was completely convinced as she mumbled, more to herself than to the two boys: "Of course. There's no way that a human could access a level that demands so much power and skill."

Mai's attention was once again drawn to Jou and the witch said: "Alright then. I accept your offer. The little girl Shizuka may leave if you come into her place." And with that the woman snapped her fingers and in a flicker of magic a red-haired girl joined them.

While Bakura kept a close eye on Mai, Jou went to the girl and brought her over to Bakura. Mai did not make a move to stop this, clearly satisfied in her knowledge that she would get what she wanted. Bakura's attention went back to Jou when the boy placed his sister against the albino's chest and spoke: "Take care of her for me, will you?"

"I already agreed to do it", Bakura said as he placed an arm around the unresponsive girl's shoulders. "Stop being such a pansy."

A brief chuckle escaped from Jou and a second later Bakura found himself captured in a firm embrace by the blond. There was a sharp gasp that might have come from either Jou, Bakura himself or even them both but the white-haired teen had no time to figure out which it was before Jou spoke out quietly: "Bye."

"See ya", Bakura replied sternly, not about to make too big of deal out of this. They would beat Mai and Jou would be free again. Then Bakura could make fun of his friend's melodramatics. But for now he gave the blond's back one single pat before Jou pulled away and made his way to Mai.

"We have a deal then?" Mai questioned in a confident manner. Already knowing what the answer was going to be the witch spoke: "A complete trade. Little Shizuka's complete freedom for your complete servitude."

None of Jou's previous melancholy was present anymore as the blond smirked in a manner that was a complete rip-off from Kaiba before speaking out: "Deal", and offered the witch his hand. Mai wasted no time before grabbing on to the appendage and therefore sealing the agreement.

There was a burst of magic which Bakura could feel all the way in his bones and when he recovered enough he could see how Jou's face had lost all traces of any expression as the blond stared blankly ahead with empty eyes. It was terrible to look at and it was the last image Bakura saw before Mai cackled in a menacing manner and cheered: "Nice doing business with you boys", and disappeared in a shimmer similar to the one she had appeared in, Jou vanishing along with her.

The silence that fell upon the forest after Mai's and Jou's departure was broken by a groan let out by the frail body in Bakura's grasp. The white-haired boy looked down at the girl as saw that she was stirring, her green eyes opening a moment later to look right at Bakura in a lost manner.

"Where?" the girl muttered weakly, followed by an utter of: "Who?"

"I'm Bakura", Bakura spoke, deciding that he had better start from the simplest explanation. "I'm a friend of your brother's. You remember Katsuya, right?" It felt strange to use Jou's first name for the first time ever, but he would have to, since it was not very likely that the girl would recognize the blond's nickname.

A slow nod was the answer Shizuka gave to Bakura's query before she asked softly: "Where is he? Where's brother?"

The girl truly had a sweet voice and the manner she spoke with made it hard for even Bakura to disappoint her but the albino would need to get Shizuka operating with him as soon as possible, so that they could make it back to the village before Mai decided that she would not be letting the two of them leave.

"Your brother traded places with you to get you away from that witch Mai", Bakura explained, not sure of how much the girl was aware of things that had happened during her captivity. "You've been in her control for years now."

"I remember that", Shizuka spoke slowly, furrowing her brows as she thought deeply. "Yes, I do remember, just not very clearly." The girl's face smoothened itself again. "You're saying that Katsuya took my place? Why?"

"As crazy as it sounds, he has a plan", Bakura replied and saw a confused expression come over Shizuka's face. The albino decided that the rest of the story could wait until the girl was safely within the borders of Kirusae and spoke out: "Shizuka, have you ever imagined looking like your brother did? Like I do? Without the ears and the tail?"

"…No, not really", the girl replied with a brief moment of thought. Bakura nodded his head before speaking out: "I need you to try it now." If Jou was able to change his appearance by will, there was no reason his sister could not do the same. And Bakura would have a lot easier time taking Shizuka back to the village if the girl did not kept floating out of his grip like she was almost doing now.

"Okay", Shizuka said with a nod. "I'll try." And that said the girl closed her eyes and a serene expression took over her face. A moment later she was lowered to the ground as her dog-ears and tail vanished. The girl then opened her eyes to look expectantly at Bakura as she asked: "Did it work?"

"Splendidly", Bakura replied and let go of the girl's shoulders in favour of gripping her wrist. "Now come along. I need to get you to safety."

"But what about my brother?" Shizuka questioned, resisting Bakura's pull. "We have to help him."

"That's why we have to leave", Bakura explained sternly. "We need to go and get help." The albino tugged at the girl's wrist more insistently. "Come on. We need to get moving."

"Okay, okay", the girl mumbled as she finally followed after Bakura. The boy noticed, however, that the girl was walking very sluggishly and became aware of the fact that Shizuka had not really bee able to walk much since her feet hardly ever touched the ground when she had been a sprite. It was going to take them forever to get back to the village if the girl had to learn to walk now.

Releasing an annoyed growl Bakura let go of Shizuka's hand and grunted: "We don't have time for this. I'll carry you on my back." And with that the albino turned his back to the girl and knelt down until he could feel the girl's weight settle on his back. Then he stood up and started to make his way through the trees.

When this was all over Jou was going to owe him a huge favour.

&

Mai could hardly contain her excitement when she returned back to her lair with the blond puppy sprite in tow. This was perfect! She could now access the final battle level and crush Yugi and his friends. And then eternity would be hers!

"I see you're back, precious", came Valon's voice suddenly and Mai turned her head to see the brunet in question walk towards her in the hallway. "What do you have here? He looks new."

"He is new", Mai replied with a sniff, burying her hand in the boy's thick blond locks. "He is the perfect companion for me."

"Um, Mai, aren't you forgetting something?" Valon questioned and Main turned her attention back to the reptile sprite and spoke offhandedly: "I don't think I am."

"But Mai", Valon insisted in a jealous tone. "_I_ am your perfect companion!"

"You were before you proved yourself useless to me", Mai snapped and glanced at the boy in her grasp as she caressed a soft cheek. "But this one is strong and so much more of use than you could ever hope to be."

"I won't let some brat take my place!" Valon snapped and took a menacing step towards the two fair-haired sprites. Mai did not even glance in the brunet's direction as she spoke: "It's too late, Valon. Little Katsuya has already taken your place." The witch then turned her piercing gaze to Valon. "The only use you could be of to me anymore is give me your life's energy."

The reptile sprite froze then, staring at Mai in both terror and incredulous surprise. Valon shook his head in denial as he insisted: "You wouldn't do that, Mai!"

"Watch me", the witch hissed slowly and in the next instant the entire hallway lit up in a brilliant show of light and as it faded away Valon had collapsed on the floor, staring at the ceiling above with a look on his face that was even more blank than the one Katsuya was sporting. But then again, Katsuya had his soul even if it was dormant, unlike Valon.

"Come on now, my darling", Mai cooed to the blond next to her, like she had not just taken someone's soul without batting an eyelash. Katsuya did not object but he did not say anything in agreement either as Mai led him through the dark halls and into a grand bed chamber, where she lead the boy to sit on a chair placed in front of her mirror table.

"You are such a beautiful boy…" Mai mumbled as she caressed the side of Katsuya's face. "I think I will be keeping you around for a long time." The witch released a brief giggle. "Who knows? Perhaps I'll even share the eternity with you." She tilted the boy's face so that she was looking right into the dull eyes of the teen. "In time you will learn to love me, won't you beloved?"

It was a straight question, the only kind a soul slave could answer. Katsuya's mouth opened slowly and the boy spoke in a toneless voice: "I cannot lie, mistress. My heart lies with Seto."

A thoughtful hum escaped from between Mai's full lips before she remembered the person the blond sprite must have been talking about and she said in an amused manner: "That human you were with? He is nothing."

"He is my love", came Katsuya's response and for a moment Mai thought she heard strength behind those words. The witch shook her head and dismissed those thoughts, though. The words were what was powerful. There was no way that the boy could break free from a binding contract. Assured by this Mai moved her thumb over the soft lips of the male and spoke in an alluring tone of voice: "Don't worry, my dear. I can wait for you." And with that she stepped away from the boy and walked out of the room.

After the door had closed behind her Mai's smiling mask broke and she slammed a fist into a nearby wall, all the while screaming in rage: "Like hell I will!" The witch let out a high-pitched, bird-like scream and leaned her forehead against the wall. "That…that…_human_! I'm going to kill him when I get my claws on him!"

&

Getting punched really hurt. Bakura should know, since he got a fist in his face, courtesy of Jou, on a regular basis. But frankly, as strong as the blond was he had nothing on Seto Kaiba. It was really no wonder that Jou submitted to the brunet so willingly, Bakura thought with little humour as he felt around his mouth to check if he had lost any teeth. Kaiba had monstrous strength but fortunately enough he had not managed to knock out any of Bakura's pearly whites.

"Damn, that smarts!" Bakura spat out as he wobbled back up on his feet. Kaiba looked like he was about to punch the albino again but Otogi and Hiroto and grabbed a hold of the brunet's arms in a joined effort to keep the tall teen from becoming violent again.

"You idiot!" Kaiba roared with his face a bright angry red. "What the hell were you thinking, letting Jou go and do that?"

"I already told you before you tried to break my scull that he had a plan!" Bakura bellowed back, not liking to be clobbered. "He's going to trick Mai into attempting Battle Level Five with him!"

"That sounds like a good plan", Yami pointed out from the side. "I mean, if we can get Mai to use all of her power…"

"Don't you dare!" Kaiba yelled, the words directed at Yami instead of Bakura this time. "Jou is under Mai's control now and all you can think is how useful it _might_ be! There's no guarantee that the plan will work!"

"Why wouldn't it?" Bakura snapped. "Don't you go dissing Jou. It's a good plan."

"Maybe in theory but what about when the fight actually comes?" Kaiba argued. "Unless you all managed to forget: Jou's power returns when he's in the forest. If he's fighting for Mai he will strike even when Mai has been made defenceless."

"That's a good point", Ryou agreed then. "I mean, we might be able to beat Mai but if Jou is teaming up with her it wont be enough. We would have to strike down our friend as well and I don't think any of us have the will to do that."

"So little dog-boy went and did something stupid", Marik concluded in a bored tone of voice. "I'll just go to Mai's lair and nab him. That way I can make sure that he won't be nearby during the big fight." The wolf sprite gave the group a toothed grin. "Isn't that right?"

"If you really are willing to do that", Yami spoke after a while, the first one to give a response to the suggestion. Kaiba also nodded and then said: "I, for one, would prefer it if Jou was not present for the fight."

"It's settled then", Marik said in a final manner. "I'll dognap Jou and make sure that Mai won't be able to use him."

"We will also need you to lead us to Mai's hideout, though", Yami said. "We don't know where she is but we have to take her out while Jou isn't there on her disposal."

"I can lead the way", Shizuka spoke out suddenly. "I can remember a lot of the things that happened while I was in captivity. I know the way to Mai's lair."

"Great. It's settled then", Yami spoke, making the decision for the group. "We will move out as soon as we are able to. Marik will go on ahead and rescue Jou and then we will handle Mai and any cronies she might have guarding the place."

"Sound good to me", Bakura said before glancing to the direction of the kitchen. "Can we eat before we leave, though? I don't think it will be wise to fight on an empty stomach." Even though his tone sounded nonchalant, inside Bakura was anything but. Not only was his friend in peril, he had played a part in placing him there. So, the only thing left for him to do was fix things the best he could.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Wow, Bakura quilt trip. I don't think that has been seen very often.


	38. Into the Lair of the Witch

The Little Sprite

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 38**

**Into The Lair of The Witch**

"Marik." Marik stopped at the sound of his name. The wolf sprite turned around from the doorway to look at the person who had spoken to him. He had just finished receiving wishes of good luck from their group and had been about to head for Mai's lair when he had heard that one voice speak his name, that one voice that would make him drop everything he was doing in the next instant.

"Malik", Marik spoke as his eyes met a pair of pale lavender ones. "Did you come to give me a good luck kiss?"

There was a huff from the shorter sprite, followed by a grumble of: "In your dreams." Malik's expression was serious as he continued: "I came to ask you something."

"Sure", Marik said with a nod. "I'm all ears."

"You have a contract with Mai, even though it isn't exactly official", Malik said evenly. The fox sprite had not shaped it to be a question but merely reminded Marik that he had told the other this before. "If she told you to not take Jou from her hiding place, would you be forced to obey?"

Marik clicked his tongue, knowing the answer better than he would have liked to admit. After all, one did not want to be constantly reminded of one's limitations. Still, Marik had tested those limitations in question. He forced the disgust the thought woke in him out of his voice as he spoke: "It would have to be a direct order. She would have to say something like 'I order you to'. Otherwise I don't have to listen to her."

"I see", Malik mumbled in a thoughtful manner, his voice trailing off into a murmur. There was a brief pause before Malik's eyes seemed to sharpen and the fox questioned: "Is Mai aware of this?"

That was a very perceptive question, one that had Marik wishing that Malik had not been so quick on the intake. Before he could come up with a response that would mislead Malik from the real answer the smaller sprite spoke: "I see she does."

A moment passed as Marik waited for Malik to continue. Finally the fox sighed, closing his eyes briefly before locking gazes with Marik again and speaking: "Just…promise me that you won't get caught. I don't want…" The other trailed off then but it did not matter, because Marik understood what the other was trying to say. He did not want them to end up in a situation without a way out and one that would lead to only regret.

"No problem", Marik assured the smaller sprite. "I can take care of myself. I've made it through eighteen years, haven't I?"

"Hm", Malik hummed, not sounding convinced. "And how many times have you been in a conspiracy against that witch?"

"Good point", Marik said, shrugging one shoulder. "But then again, Mai has never had anyone conspiring against her before so I guess we're pretty even."

"Just don't be too certain of that", Malik said in a warning tone. "I will not be happy if I find out later on that you were caught red-handed."

A small smile came to Marik's lips and the wolf sprite reached out a hand to brush the tips of his fingers over Malik's cheek, murmuring gently: "Don't worry about me, Malik."

Flushing in an embarrassed manner Malik's eyes snapped away from Marik's own as the shorter sprite spluttered: "I don't-" Marik's hand went beneath Malik's chin, cutting the other male off. The lavender eyes met his darker violet once more and Marik licked his lips when he saw Malik worry his bottom lip.

In the next moment Malik released his bottom lip and brought his hands to Marik's shoulders, moving up to plant the briefest of kisses on the taller teen's lips. Marik gasped at the realization that Malik truly had kissed him after he had spent such a long time chasing after the other and the wonderful sensation was over far too soon for the wolf sprite's liking.

Complete silence fell over the hall and the two blonds simply stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Finally Malik moved away from Marik, leaving the wolf feeling cold. Still, Marik found himself smiling at the smaller boy before he spoke cheekily: "Now I just have to come back alright if I want more of that."

Malik blushed a dark shade of red then, turning his face to the side as he grumbled: "You got your good luck kiss. Just go."

A chuckle came from Marik in response before the tall sprite did as ordered.

&

"This is it then", Yugi spoke from his position curled up against Yami's side. The taller teen had an arm around his shoulders in a consoling manner as the two waited for it to become the time of their departure. Seto had stormed out of the room the instant Yugi had huddled himself against Yami and even though the small boy understood the brunet's feelings he could not deny himself something he so desperately needed. And he truly needed to be close to Yami now. Even though their contact was not of the intimate sort it was comforting to Yugi and the amethyst-eyed boy played with the golden necklace he had given to Yami what seemed like ages ago.

"The deciding battle", Yami added and buried his face in Yugi's hair. "You know I'll be there right beside you, facing her with you, right?"

Yugi nodded his head at the query, knowing very well that Yami would never abandon him in the face of danger. Quietly, his voice full of adoration and love, the former sprite uttered: "No matter what, we will defeat Mai together and free everyone she has enslaved."

"I just hope she doesn't plan on attacking us before we get to surprise her", Yami commented. "Because that would ruin everything."

"I'm sure it will be alright", Yugi assured his boyfriend. "We're the good guys, and good always triumphs over evil."

"Bah, what bull", came Bakura's voice from the other side of the sitting room, followed by a strangled 'oomph' when Ryou elbowed the taller albino in the side.

&

Everything was wrong, nothing was right. He knew this better than well and yet he could not bring himself to care about it. He could not remember much of anything and all of his senses had dulled so much that they were almost completely useless. He was aware of his name, however. His name was Katsuya but he did not really know what that was supposed to mean to him. A name was supposed to determine an object, give it form and purpose. Katsuya, however, did not feel like he had either of those two.

Everything was so fogged up that he could not concentrate on anything at all. His only moments of clarity came when Mistress gave him orders. That was when he knew what his purpose was and it was also the only time when the world around him existed to him. When Mistress was not there to give him instructions, he could not even find the strength to move his head and glance around the room he was in.

He stared straight ahead and even then he could not focus on what he was seeing. There was a face in front of him, the face of a person that stared right back at him in exactly the same manner that he stared at that person. An expressionless face faced an identical one; soulless brown eyes only saw the depths of their twins. It was an existence that brought nothing but despair with it and that was the only emotion Katsuya felt, even though he did not recognize it. The emotion was so weak on the surface, even though inside he was drowning in an endless ocean. There was nothing but the face opposite to his own, and that name.

Seto. It was a name that kept him afloat, made him want to glance around him and become _aware_ once more. He wanted to remember the face the name belonged to, for he knew that if he could just see that face then he would remember everything else. He would know what was in the world outside of Mistress' words in his ear and her hands on his body and he would know what had come before this place, this place where he barely existed and was in danger of fading away during every moment that passed.

And then there were hands on him again. He could hear Mistress' voice in his ear, speaking about how beautiful he was and how beautiful and powerful their children would be. Katsuya did not find much interest in having offspring and told Mistress so. There was a bright, beautiful laugh before it was cut off abruptly and long-nailed fingers trailed down his chin and neck while Mistress' voice hissed that it did not matter what he thought, that she was the one making the decisions and that his job was to only follow her instructions.

It sounded like a simple enough existence and it had its appeal to Katsuya but if he accepted that fate, he would never find out just who Seto was. He knew Seto was a person, an important person who had a beauty even greater than the one Mistress displayed. It was hard to belief since she was pure perfection, he was not allowed to think otherwise, but somehow Katsuya knew that it was the truth. He was meant to be with Seto.

"What are you thinking about?" Mistress cooed softly to him and his clarity returned enough for him to know that Mistress was too close to him with her cleavage pressing against his back and arm as her fingers toyed with his hair. Her voice was pleasant as she commented softly: "It had better be me that you are thinking about when you know better than to think at all."

"I want to see Seto", Katsuya spoke before he could stop himself. "I should be with Seto. Can you take me to him?"

A long silence followed and Mistress' hands tightened in Katsuya's hair enough to make him grimace in pain. A brief hiss came out through his clenched teeth as Mistress snarled to him: "No, I can't take you to Seto." One of her hands left his hair to trail down his chest, exploring the forms of his body like so many times before. "You're mine now. You don't need Seto. You will need only me. You will_ love_ only me." The hand came down between his legs and pressed there firmly while soft, full lips brushed against the shell of his ear. "React for me a bit, wouldn't you, dear?"

Katsuya did not feel like reacting and the hand kneading his front felt uncomfortable to him. He turned his head to look into awesome eyes of deep amethyst before he spoke firmly: "Let me go."

"Temporarily only", came Mistress' threatening voice before she let go of him. "But I will never, _never_ truly let you go. You belong to me now, even though you refuse to acknowledge it." She straightened her posture, her breasts coming into contact with Katsuya's face and still he did not react to the close proximity with anything other than displeasure.

"I see you're a bit of a wild dog", Mistress mumbled in a thoughtful manner. "I believe taming is in order…" Her talons brushed against the back of his neck. "I will train you to enjoy my touches, love." The fingers buried themselves into Katsuya's hair and she pulled his head back so that she could kiss his lips greedily. Katsuya allowed her to do as she pleased and after a short while Mistress pulled away and breathed out in a whisper. "And after I have you trained… Well, then you will make love to me." And with that she walked away.

Once again the world around Katsuya reverted back to the middle ground between clarity and fading away. With the last bits of awareness that he managed to cling to he was aware of the sound of a door opening and closing a lot more quietly than it had in Mistress' use.

Silence followed and then there was a face in Katsuya's line of sight. The person had tanner skin than Mistress and his eyes were a darker shade of violet. The new arrival was also clearly male and the features held some familiarity to Katsuya.

Where had Katsuya seen this person before? He could not remember any time, place or event but he became aware of a name that popped to his mind. Malik, or was it Marik? He was not sure which it was but he did not seem to be able to bring himself to care one way or the other.

"Hey there, dog boy", the person spoke and a hand landed on Katsuya's shoulder. It gave him something to focus on and now Katsuya was able to listen to whatever it was that the other wanted to say.

"Your lover isn't very happy with you right now", the newcomer said. "So, I'm here to deliver you off to someplace where mister lover boy can easily find you to give you whatever punishment he can cook up." There was a chuckle. "Though, I don't think you would mind it too much."

"Lover?" Katsuya questioned in confusion. He did not remember having a lover. Actually, he did not remember much of anything. Still, having some random stranger whose name you knew for some unexplainable reason come up to him and tell him that he knew his lover was very perplexing, not to mention unexpected.

"Yeah", the other spoke with an affirming nod. "That Seto-fellow. Remember?"

That got Katsuya's attention. This person knew Seto and not only that, but he was willing to take him to that special person. Suddenly the odd person was a lot more interesting to him.

"You'll take me to Seto?" Katsuya questioned and some of his inner eagerness actually made it to the outside, probably because the hand on his shoulder still helped him ground himself. "When will we leave?"

"Right now", the other person started but the words barely made themselves out from his lips when another voice bellowed: "Never!"

It was Mistress' voice and when the other pulled away from Katsuya to face her his hand left his shoulder, leaving Katsuya sinking into a thick fog once more. He struggled to stay present long enough to find out what Mistress was going to do but he was quickly losing interest in the world around him once again, and that included the person who… What was it that had been so interesting about that person in the first place? It seemed to have slipped his mind.

"Mai!" the other yelled in an angered manner. "You can't own a person completely! You can't own him and neither can you own me!"

There was a low laugh from Mistress, followed by chuckling that quickly turned into full-blown barks of laughter. The laughter was cut off in the same way it had been before, suddenly by the woman herself, and then she spoke in a cold and sinister tone of voice that was the complete opposite of the way she spoke to Katsuya: "No, I may not own you." There was an ominous pause and the next words Mistress uttered were the last ones Katsuya's mind registered. "But I can hurt you."

Even in his completely succumbed state Katsuya flinched when the first blood-curling scream reached his ears.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Short chapter, so very sorry about that. And Katsuya's part was meant to seem a bit disoriented.

And sorry about taking forever to update. I had to stop writing for a while when my schedule got too busy and then I had difficulties with starting where I left off again.


	39. Attack

The Little Sprite

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 39**

**Attack**

Yugi glanced at the huge grandfather clock stationed to his left, the wooden apparatus standing to the side of the door of the sitting room. The clock showed that it was a bit past midday, meaning that they would be moving out soon.

"Didn't your grandfather say that he had something important to give to us before we left?" Ryou questioned from the opposite couch. Yugi glanced to the albino boy and saw the other fidgeting with some of his white bangs. Ryou had been doing that for some time and not even Bakura could make the boy calm down enough to make him stop. At the moment the broodier teen in question was sitting beside Ryou with his head leaning against the backrest of the couch. Yugi was unable to see his face and it was very possible that Bakura was asleep.

"Yea", Yugi said with a nod of his head. "Grandpa said that he had something that would help us sneak into Mai's lair unnoticed."

"He's going to have to hurry soon", Yami commented and one of his arms landed on Yugi's shoulders. "It's about time we left."

"We can't leave without that assistance, whatever it is", came the sudden mumble from Bakura, giving everyone proof that he was awake after all. "Mai has some way of knowing when someone's going around in the forest. She found me and Jou almost instantly so it has to be so." The teen turned his head and his murky brown eyes focused on Yugi. "I think that her method of locating people would be even more effective when we are on her home field. It's only logical."

"Hm", Yami hummed in an agreeing tone. "Even so, soon Seto is going to come barging in here demanding that we get a move on and I don't think he will have the patience to wait any longer."

"Well, it is personal for him, even more so than to any of us", Yugi said in a saddened manner. "Someone he cares about is directly in harm's way and the sooner we beat Mai the sooner Seto can be with Jou again."

"You make him sound like such a romantic", Bakura commented with a snort. Then the albino glanced around. "Have any of you guys seen Malik? He's been missing for some time now."

"He went to see his brother Rishid", Yugi replied easily. "And Hiroto and Otogi are somewhere making out." The boy grimaced. "I sure hope neither grandpa nor Mana run into them."

"I'd be more worried about Seto catching them on the act", Yami said. "He's not in a very tolerant mood." Yugi felt the teen shift beside him as he ran a hand through his hair. "I have to wonder how Shizuka has the guts to follow him around the house."

"Seto is close to Jou so I guess she feels closer to her brother when she's with him", Yugi analysed and frowned thoughtfully. "There is something off about her, though."

"She has no personality", Bakura spoke out. "When she and Jou switched places I saw Jou's eyes lose all life. I think Mai's magic pushes their consciousness dormant, making them easier to control." The albino actually looked pitying for a moment as he finished: "And just think; Shizuka's been like that for years. It must have affected her psyche to some extent."

"You're saying that she is crazy?" Yami asked incredulously and Bakura rolled his eyes before replying: "I'm saying that her psyche is on the same stage as when she was placed under the spell. She has been disconnected from the world, making it hard for her to mature during the years." The white-haired teen shrugged then. "Of course she could have simply gone crazy from what Mai did to her."

Before the conversation could continue any longer, the door to the room slid open and Sugoroku entered. The old man's arrival caught everyone's attention and Yugi only barely noticed Seto trailing in right after the elderly sprite with Shizuka following him like a shadow.

"Alright then", Sugoroku spoke, clapping his hands in order to make sure everyone was listening before continuing: "I've gone through all of my books and I have come across only one item that would allow Mai to detect you both in the forest and in the town outside the forest's borders."

"Okay then", Yami spoke from beside Yugi. "What is it?"

"It's a mirror", Sugoroku answered as he moved his hands backwards to clasp them behind his back. "The Earth Mirror was created quite the few centuries ago so that sprites could monitor anyone who entered the Old Forest."

"What's the Old Forest?" Bakura asked then and Yugi had to admit, even if only in his own mind, that he also wanted to know that. It was probably something he should have known but had not been able to memorize on his history lessons.

"The Old Forest merely refers to the area that used to belong to this forest before the humans came and cut down a part of it to make room for their settlements", Sugoroku explained. "The only exceptions are this village and that human school because of the strong concentration of magic in these two spots. The magic levels interfere with the spells placed on the mirror, creating blind spots for it."

"Can we use a similar method in order to sneak into Mai's lair?" Yami questioned and Yugi felt himself grow hopeful at the idea. "Can we create a magical field that causes the mirror to turn a blind eye on us?"

"It's not that simple as creating some silly shield", Sugoroku said sternly. "The amount of magic needed to cause enough interference is too much for any single person to create. It acquires dozens of people and that is only in the least."

With that Yugi felt a wave of despair threaten to rise. Was this everything his grandfather had been able to uncover? This information did not really help them do anything else but understand Mai's methods. They were no more ready to take off to face the witch than they had been before Sugoroku's entrance.

"If that is all then I suppose we had better get a move on", Seto spoke and Yugi glanced to the tall brunet leaning against the wall beside the doorway. The teen looked more than slightly annoyed, probably because he had been forced to wait for this when he was worried about Jou's well being. Seto frowned at seemingly thin air as he continued: "If Mai is going to know we are coming regardless what we do, then we should move quickly enough for her not to have time to do anything about us before we're already in her hair."

"As much as I hate to agree with the Ice King, he does have a point", Bakura drawled and stood up from his seat. "It would be for the best if we just got this over with. If we can't use stealth then let's at least be quick about this."

"So we're finally going to actually do something? Praise to the heavens!" a sarcastic voice cheered from the doorway, signalling Malik's arrival on the scene. A quick glance to the fox sprite's direction revealed that Hiroto and Otogi had also come and Yugi wondered if they had heard enough for there to be no need for repetition. But it seemed that one way or the other it did not matter, for Seto spoke out in a tone of voice that left no room for argument: "Mai won't be sitting in front of that mirror around the clock. It just might be that we will make it to her without her getting any incentive. We're moving out _now_."

No one raised any objections to Seto's commands. When Yugi looked at the intensity in the tall human's azure eyes, he understood why. Seto was a man on a mission and was clearly not about to have anyone stand in his way.

&

They were going to be shifting in one large group. It was the only way the humans could be taken along for the trip since they lacked the same magic that sprites possessed and this way Shizuka could direct them all to the right spot without anyone getting lost. Using a group shift was the logical thing to do and it was a justified decision but none of these good points made it any easier for Malik to just take it in stride. The thing was, Malik hated group shifting with a passion. He hated regular shifting as well; it made him feel foreign in his body. And in group shifting the feeling of not belonging into his body intensified.

Hiroto was going to be the one to activate the shift, since the brunet was in tune with the energies used in shifting, more so than Malik or Shizuka. Shizuka's place in the circle was next to the monkey sprite and the girl was in her sprite form so that she could use her magic. The rest of the group were positioned randomly, for the only thing that mattered was that Malik was standing opposite to Hiroto. This was because the two of them were the main focus points of the magic that would be used for the shift and the balance would be the easiest to gain if their formation was symmetrical.

The shift had been planned well and everyone had been told their places in the circle before they had left the safety of the barrier surrounding Kirusae. Shifting could not be done within the village boundaries and the formation was taken as soon as the group entered the outside forest. They all clasped hands despite Bakura's loud complaints and in the next instant the air around them seemed to ripple even though Malik knew that it was them who were losing their form in the physical realm.

The disorientation of the shift did not last for long and when the world focused again Malik saw that they were in the dead part of the forest. The trees around them were all grey and even the coniferous trees lacked all traces of green. A tall, grey obelisk rose from the dead ground in front of them and there was a lightning-shaped crack in the middle of the stone, slim at the top and wide like a doorway at the bottom. And a doorway was exactly what it was revealed to be when Shizuka went over to the crack and spoke: "These stairs lead to the lair."

With Shizuka in the lead, Seto right beside the girl, the group made its way through the crack and down the steps that seemed to go down right into the centre of the Earth. The long and steep staircase led straight down and after they had walked carefully and slowly in darkness for what seemed like ages, they came across eerie green light.

The light turned out to be from torches that lit the last ten or so steps and the wide hallway that continued onward beyond them. This time Yami walked forward and started to lead the group since there really was no reason for Shizuka to lead them when the corridor was straight. The girl shifted into her human form and settled to walk beside Seto. It was an interesting development that Shizuka had stuck herself to Seto instead of Bakura who had brought her to safety but Malik supposed it had something to do with Seto being her brother's lover instead of merely a friend. Perhaps the girl considered them family.

Reaching the end of the hallway took a lot smaller amount time than it had taken to get down the staircase from before. The group soon arrived to a large room that was straight out of some kind of an underground tomb, only that the stones were smooth and the quality of the architecture was a lot greater than that which was typical of underground establishments. This enormous lair could not have come to be with merely the work of hands, which meant that this whole fortress had been built with magic and it only served as proof of Mai's great skill in many areas of spell casting. It was a good way to discourage any arrivals, but making something like this was not the same as duelling. At least, that was Malik told himself in order to stay optimistic.

"Well, I can't say I expected to see you again, Kitten Yugi, least of all here of all places", a feminine voice spoke calmly all of a sudden. The tone was not threatening and so Malik was not surprised to see that the person who had spoken was not Mai at all.

The woman was standing in a doorway, the one to left from where Malik was standing. There were two more on the right but there was no movement in that direction so Malik focused his attention on the new arrival.

She was a wolf sprite, Malik noticed first. She had dark skin, the exact same colour as Marik's, and long black hair that fell over her shoulders as straight curtains of such deep dark that the green light of the torches did not touch them. Her eyes were an oceanic blue, deep and with a dark tint. This had to be Marik's sister, Malik decided. There was simply no way that the woman could be anyone else.

"I am Ishizu", the woman spoke to the group, spreading her hands in a sign of meaning no harm. "You are friends of my brother Marik, right?"

Malik felt dread grip at his heart when Ishizu brought up Marik. There had been something lying dormant in the female's voice, some terrible secret that she was soon to reveal. Realizing that this was the peak of the feeling of amiss that he had been experiencing ever since they had first stepped on that gruesome staircase, Malik walked forward and questioned with no small hint of urgency: "Did something happen to Marik?"

"I'm afraid that the Mistress was not too happy with him upon his return", Ishizu replied in a tone of voice that tried to be calm and detached but it betrayed deep worry. "I was not informed of what he did wrong but he received a severe punishment."

This was bad; Malik knew it immediately. He also knew that he would have to go to Marik now. He did not want to disappoint Yugi but he could not lose Marik, not when there was still so much left unsaid between them. The fox sprite would not be satisfied with this kind of a closure.

"Show me to him", Malik spoke out sternly, surprised by the strength his voice had gained. There was some movement from his side and his lavender eyes turned to look at Hiroto, who gave him a gentle smile and said: "I'm coming along."

"Then I'm sticking to your side as well", came from Otogi without a pause. Malik sighed, smiling sadly to himself, before turning his gaze to Yugi. The short boy smiled at him warmly and fondly before breathing out: "Go."

Malik nodded his head and with that everything that needed to be done had been done. Malik knew that everything he would have had to say to Yugi had come out of his mouth at some point before and that gave him the strength he needed to let his fragile-looking friend part ways with him. Yugi was not as weak as he seemed and Yami would not let anything happen to the boy Malik had enjoyed growing up with. The fox sprite turned to Ishizu and said: "Let's get going then."

Ishizu nodded her head slowly, the movement elegant and controlled, and then she spoke, directing her words to Yugi: "The pathway on the right will lead you to Mai. It will split once and choosing left will take you to Mai's throne room." The woman smiled a humourless smile. "The Mistress has always thought herself to be important enough to need one."

Yugi spoke his thanks, to which Ishizu only nodded her head again and with that the group continued on with the directions given to them while Malik and his two tag-alongs turned to Ishizu for guidance. The woman turned wordlessly and started to lead the way down the corridor she had come from and Malik had finally calmed down enough to wonder about how different Ishizu was from her brother. The two seemed to have nothing in common besides their skin tone and wolf genetics.

Once again it did not take long to get to the end of the hallway. The path split in two in front of them, revealing a row after row of dark cages. The place reminded Malik of the tales about medieval dungeons that Sugoroku had told him, Yugi and Hiroto in their earlier years and he shivered at the thought of Marik being trapped like an animal in this darkness and coldness, for there were no torches lit here in this hall.

Despite the darkness that was thick around them, Ishizu led the way through the zigzagging rows of cells with little hesitance, clearly knowing where to go. Or then the woman had keen night sight but Malik was not going to ask. Malik tried to count the number of cages they passed between each turn just in case they would have to find the way out of there by themselves. But they walked for a long time and Malik soon lost count of not only the cells around them but also of the turns they had taken. Ishizu kept their phase dizzyingly fast and Malik thought that it might have been a sign of worry taking over on the woman's part.

Finally Ishizu's stride came to a stop and the three males stopped right behind her. She waved her hand in a dismissing action and Malik watched with interest as the act opened the cell door in front of them. Then Ishizu went inside and Malik hurried in right after the woman, only to freeze in his tracks at the sight that met him.

Ishizu had lit a white light that illuminated the cell and when Malik's throat turned sore from his screaming he decided that he would have been better off in darkness.

_**To be continued…**_


	40. Confrontation

The Little Sprite

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 40**

**Confrontation**

At first Malik thought that he was looking at a corpse. Marik was lying completely still on the dirty floor with blotches of congealed blood covering his skin and his clothes were stained brown from dried blood. The wolf sprite's skin was a far cry from its normal healthy shade and was now a sickening grey colour that should not have been seen on a living person.

After having his arms grabbed roughly by both Hiroto and Otogi, Malik realized that his mind had wandered off at the sight of Marik's battered body. His throat was sore, like he had been screaming and he was forced to blink his eyes furiously when they stung and his sight blurred over.

"It's alright, Malik", Hiroto hushed gently from his right. "He's alive. He's alive, Malik."

When he heard his friend's words Malik's gaze fell on Marik's bared chest and the rising and falling movement he noticed was undeniable proof that there was still life in that still body. The rhythm was even steady, a sign that Marik was in a lot better shape than he looked to be.

"What happened to him?" Malik managed to gasp out, turning his burning gaze to Ishizu as his voice cracked. "Who hurt my Marik?"

A sorrowful look came over Ishizu's face and the woman looked at her brother with a glance of sympathy and pity as she spoke in a quiet tone of voice: "Mistress Mai punished him for trying to take her new prize away. She doesn't like having anyone touching him."

"Her prize?" Malik repeated in a questioning manner, his eyes suddenly widening when he realized just what the female wolf was trying to say. He lifted his head, his expression desperate as he spoke: "Marik couldn't save Jou. Mai still has him."

There was a hissed curse that Malik suspected to have come from Otogi when Hiroto asked: "What now then?"

"Nothing", Malik said with a deep frown as rage burned inside him. If only he could get his hands around Mai's neck, he would make the witch pay for doing this to Marik…

"There's no way we can make it to the others in time to warn them", Malik spoke as he made his way to Marik, touching his hand to a cheek that was slightly cooler than it should have been. "Our top priority is getting Marik out of here and tending to his wounds."

No one argued with Malik's statement and so they all got to work. And when Marik's unresponsive body was lifted off of the cold floor, Malik could not help but worry about the wolf sprite. The other was silent like death and Malik hoped and prayed that it was not because Mai had taken his soul. That would have been too much for Malik to bear.

&

'This is it', Yami thought as his hand held Yugi's own so tightly that he was certain that blood circulation had stopped in both of their hands. The teen was also startlingly aware of the slickness that had formed between their palms from sweat. Actually, Yami had to fight against shivering every time a draft passed them because his whole shirt seemed to be damp with nervous sweat. He wondered if everyone else's nerves were as close to snapping as his and came to the conclusion that Yugi was feeling even worse than he was. They were, after all, fighting for his people when all the personal grudges were stripped away.

The suspension truly was almost crippling when the group made its way down the corridor, following the instructions the female sprite had given them. In time they all saw the lit pathway that would lead them to Mai's throne room, however, and their entrance through it brought them to something of an anticlimactic end.

Mai was sitting on a large throne with a seemingly bored expression on her face but she was not surprised in the slightest to see the group enter her lair all of a sudden. On the contrary, the witch's lips stretched into a wicked smile, showing pearly while teeth as violet eyes gleamed wickedly.

"There you are", the bird sprite drawled in the smuggest tone of voice Yami had ever heard anyone use. "I was wondering when you would show up." Thick eyelashes fluttered alluringly, but also clearly mockingly. "I expected you here a lot sooner."

And that was when Yami noticed the blond boy sitting next to Mai's throne with a completely lifeless look on his face, revealing to the teen that Marik had been caught before he had managed to carry through with his mission. But that still did not explain how Mai had known that they were coming as well.

"How did you know to expect us?" Yami questioned, the self-proclaimed leader of the group. Marik would not have sold them out like that. Doing something so disgraceful to save his own skin did not fit the wolf sprite's nature. Yami could never imagine Marik grovelling in front of anyone, least of all the blonde witch.

"I am very adept in various forms of magic", Mai drawled in a bored manner, leaning back in her seat. "Affecting the mind holds no difficulty to me." As if to prove her point one of her hands dropped over the armrest of her throne, burying her clawed fingers in Jou's hair. The action received no rejection from the boy but Yami did not see any trace of acceptance either. Despite the fact that Seto certainly noticed that as well, the tall brunet stiffened beside Yami, clearly struggling against his possessive urges.

"I know all of your plans, every single one of them", Mai spoke in a sweet tone, clearly enjoying the situation to her cold heart's content. "Once I managed to shed away each layer of Marik's mind I found them all there, written down for me to read and to use to my own benefit."

The superiority the witch must have been feeling over them all was evident in the way the woman was looking at each member of their group in an amused manner, like they were merely a source of entertainment instead of a serious opposition to her plans. Her talons trailed the skin of Jou's neck as she started to speak once more: "I know what will happen if I attempt to use the final Battle Level with little Katsuya here." The sharp nails came to the underside of her captive's chin. "It won't matter, however. All I care about is that he has the potential for it, because that means that our children will have it as well." Finally, a trace of anger and frustration came onto the beautiful face as the violet eyes came to rest on Seto with a strong look of intense hatred. "I will enjoy tearing you apart, human. And then I will have your little lover make love to _me_." The woman hesitated then and then added, as if only an afterthought: "Or then I will merely mutilate you and have you watch how I claim him. Then I could have him kill you off painfully afterwards."

That was a weakness, Yami realized. It was something that was either jealousy or pride or a mix of both but even though Yami knew that much he did not know how to use it to his advantage. Mai had a temper and it was shining through her calm facade at the mere sight of Seto but they could not use that against the witch unless Seto was the one to take her out.

"I won't let you have him", Seto's voice cut through Yami's ponderings, surprisingly calm considering the circumstances. "Not even that puppet who wears Katsuya's face. I won't allow you to defile him."

"We'll see", Mai spoke in a cold tone of voice, but it was a coldness brought by rage; it was not controlled. Yami was ready to speak out his challenge to the woman but before he could come up with the right words, Yugi started to speak: "It's all going to end here, Mai. You will never get the chance to harm Seto or anyone else. You will not attack Kirusae."

A terrible sound that sent shivers down Yami's spine rang in the room all of a sudden and it took the teen a moment to realize what the sound was. Mai was laughing. The witch was laughing with her heard thrown back, the sound completely out of control. It was insane. _She_ was insane. If she had always been like that or if it was the corruption of the dark magic, Yami did not know. But he did know that the insanity had to end here today.

"Oh, Yugi", Mai gasped out and giggled some more. "Little, foolish, stupid kitten." The woman sighed, a content sigh, before leaning her chin on one of her hands, the elbow propped on an armrest and her other hand back in Jou's hair. "I never intended to attack Kirusae. I don't have the resources for it." The woman looked far too smug even now as she confessed to a weakness of hers. "I knew there was a spy somewhere so I told everyone that there was going to be an attack. I knew that the word would reach you and that you would come here to heroically defend your home." At that last part Mai spread out her arms as her voice dramatically rose to press the four last words. It was done with biting sarcasm and nasty glee present in each gesture.

"Why are you so intent on going after Yugi?" Yami exclaimed, not understanding what problem the witch had. Certainly no one could be _that_ bad of a loser?

A slim eyebrow rose before Mai spoke in a soft tone: "You haven't realized it yet, then? Yugi's element?"

"His element?" Yami repeated in a questioning manner. He had thought that Yugi's powers were a form of energy but would Mai be so interested in that? And if so, why?

Fortunately for Yami and his confusion, Mai seemed to be very eager to elaborate and started to speak: "I could hardly believe it when Yugi came to me on his own. It was a real stroke of luck that I found him. If only I wouldn't have underestimated him that first time we met and I would have had that immense power." Unable to contain herself the woman rose from her seat before continuing: "Simply souls will merely be able to ascertain me a few more years as my beautiful self. But with a rare soul like Yugi's I will become eternal." Even from the other side of the room Yami could see the way the woman's eyes widened in a manner that broke all remaining illusions of her having any sanity left at all. "I have been looking for a source of aether for as long as I can remember, and now it's within my reach." The witch took a gasping breath and then finished in a more controlled tone: "All I have to do is suck little Yugi's soul out to become immortal."

That explained so much, Yami realized. Aether was the final element, the element of space and the most powerful one of them all. To think that the physically frail Yugi held such power within his soul was an existing example of the way the universe needed to be balanced. For once Yami found himself thinking that his schoolbooks had actually contained some worthwhile information. And if that power were to become Mai's instead of the gentle Yugi's…

"So you wish to fight for Yugi's magic?" Yami questioned from the witch. "That was your plan all along?"

"Yes", Mai replied simply, her expression turning into one of bored indifference. "So, how about it? Let's have a magical duel of the highest level where winner takes all. If I win I get Yugi's soul, and his magic with it."

There was no way Yami could agree to terms like that. The kind of duel Mai was proposing would be one-on-one, which truly explained why the woman was not all that bothered by the revelation that she could not use the final Battle Level with Jou. Yami would not put Yugi at risk like that; he simply _could not_ fight with Yugi as the bet.

"But if you lose, then all of your contracts become obsolete", Yugi spoke out. As the boy spoke he stepped up past Yami, unexpectedly taking the lead. Yami reached out and grasped a tight hold of the former sprite's arm, bringing amethyst eyes to meet his own ruby ones. Yami guessed that his feelings and thoughts were displayed on his face, for Yugi's determined expression turned into a gentle one as the soft yet thin lips curled into a reassuring smile. A hand came to rest upon Yami's own and Yugi spoke affectionately: "It's alright." And with that the boy turned back to Mai, Yami's grip on him never relenting.

"I suppose that is acceptable", Mai uttered with a smile once again stretching her painted lips. "My everything against your everything. That is what a duel like this is supposed to be about, after all." The deep violet eyes did not gaze at anyone other than Yugi and that was when Yami realized that the witch expected _Yugi_ to be the one to duel against her, not Yami. And Yami was not going to just let that happen.

"This is my fight, Yami", Yugi spoke out softly, not turning his gaze from Mai and still somehow managing to know exactly what Yami was thinking about at that moment. "Only I can duel in a match that determines the fate of my whole being. It's the order of things, Yami." Yugi's warm and soft fingers caressed Yami's hand once more, rubbing against the knuckles. "I love you, Yami, and I wish for nothing more than to have you by my side now, right before the end."

Finally Yugi met Yami's gaze and the taller teen was surprised to see the strength those innocent eyes held. That gaze, along with the words of love, gave Yami strength as well and he was able to let his hold on his beloved slide away. But, as he did so, he tried to show in his eyes the depth of his own feelings for the boy in front of him as he said gently: "I love you too."

"So", Mai spoke then with amusement evident in her tone. Apparently she found the tender display in front of her to be funny in some way that only her own twisted mind understood. "Are the terms all set then? Your soul and all of your powers against my contracts?"

"Yes", Yugi replied easily, not hesitating the slightest. Mai was not impressed, however, and merely grinned as she started to walk down the three steps of the pedestal that lifted her throne above ground level. Yugi also walked up to the woman to meet her halfway down the distance across the room with only five or so metres between them.

Looking at Yugi for a moment silently, Mai then turned around and spoke to the blond sitting as still and silent as he had been during the whole time they had been in the room. Jou's head rose slowly as Mai spoke to the teen: "Katsuya, be a dear and entertain sweet Yami-kins for me, okay?" Knowing not to wait for a response, Mai turned back to Yugi and lifted one of her hands to bring out the magical field that would keep all spells inside as well as outside.

Yami turned to look at Yugi when he saw the other's eyes turn to give him a worried look, but Yami merely smiled at the boy even as he could see Jou stand up from the corner of his eye. Yugi smiled back at him weakly before turning to face his opponent and lifting both of his hands to accept and expand the field that Mai was creating. And at that motion Yami knew that he could no longer be of any help to Yugi and his stomach flipped uncomfortably.

But Yami could not spend a lot of time dwelling on those feelings when his eyes fell on Jou once more. The boy seemed to _shift_ and suddenly he was hovering in mid-air, once again in his sprite form and Yami knew by now that the other teen was stronger now than normally.

Suddenly Yami was reminded of how Jou had dealt a crushing defeat to both him and Anzu at school and he had to wonder just how much more powerful of an attack Jou could manage in this form that was closer to being magical. Jou was his friend, true, but he was also under Mai's control at the moment. Yami did not want to think what would happen if he lost this duel but he could not deny the fact that Jou had a high chance of winning this because of the devastating strength his double element had.

All in all, Yami knew he had to win but he did not know if he could.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: It's been ages since I last updated and I apologise for that. Things happened, such as a new fandom and real life but now I'm back, at least somewhat.


	41. Spells and Magic

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 41**

**Spells and Magic**

_The origin of Duelling Magic is in the ancient monasteries of the East. Within their bare rooms monks meditated and prayed to the Element Reel, the Neutral Factor of the human soul. Through their prayers the monks received visions of a single element, which became the object of their meditation._

_Once they had had an element chosen for them they encountered words and phrases in the trances they entered through deep meditation or various concoctions. These words and phrases became the spells that brought out the magic residing in their souls._

_Countless spells were recorded by the monks and it is thanks to their efforts that the people of today do not have to search for their spells and can simply learn them through study and practise. However, this does not mean that it is not possible to discover spells anymore. Actually, every now and then people report in new spells that have never been encountered before._

It was as soon as the blackness of the battle arena caught Yugi inside itself that the boy started to doubt himself. He was now perfectly separated from Yami and his previous confidence deflated in the face of the evil witch who had been the main topic of his nightmares ever since their first encounter had occurred.

Truth be told, Yugi was terrible at casting spells and Mai had the experience of decades behind her. The only times Yugi had managed to perform strong magic had been accidents and if this duel was going to follow the same pattern, the former sprite was going to need a miracle to win instead of the usual accidental spell.

Yugi had good reasons for growing nervous as a shield ring came around him to protect him from serious injuries. Mai also had an identical white ring glowing around her torso and Yugi wondered if the woman was going to strike first or wait for Yugi to launch an attack. The problem with the latter was that Yugi had very little idea of how to initiate a face-off. On the case of the former option, however, Yugi could respond to any attack Mai might cook up with a clap of his hands. That usually worked to bring out Yugi's magic.

"What's the matter, little Yugi?" Mai's voice taunted from the other side of the field. "Are you too frightened to even try to attack me?"

There was not much Yugi could have said to that, especially since he lacked all sort of experience in battling with words. For the umpteenth time within mere minutes Yugi wished that Yami were by his side after all. And he was certain that he would wish for the same thing many more times before this was over.

"Well, I can clearly see that this is not your kind of a thing", Mai said with a tone of voice that was a mixture between patronising and pleasant, more of the former however. The full, brightly painted lips of the witch spread into a malevolent grin as the blonde took an offensive stance and finished: "I suppose this is going to be an easy victory then." And with that Mai darted forward, seemingly gliding over the dark surface beneath the pair. With his lack of experience in duelling Yugi had completely forgotten the fact that unlike in two against two matches, in one-on-one duels the contestants were able to move around the battle arena.

With no time to think Yugi lifted his arms to defend against a strike when Mai was suddenly right in front of him, her path going right past the boy. There was a hum in the air, the feeling of everything heating up and finally a crackle that caused the back of Yugi's neck to prickle. After all of that came a burning pain that surged through the former sprite's entire body, causing Yugi's vision to blacken and the boy to lose his footing.

&

It was not right, Seto decided when he saw Jou and Yami approach each other. He was not going to let his cousin face Jou, not without him having a position to interfere in case of a dire situation. Seto often acted nonchalant towards things but he was always passionate about the people he cared about. He did not want to have either his boyfriend or his cousin injured in the upcoming fight. But luck seemed to not be on his side, since there did not really seem to be a way to keep the duel from happening, unless Yugi managed to defeat Mai within the next five minutes.

Walking in long strides Seto quickly caught up with Yami, trusting Bakura and Ryou to take care of Shizuka, as frightening as the thought of trusting Bakura with anything at all was. The tall brunet grasped Yami's arm, effectively catching the shorter teen's attention, before he spoke: "I will not stand for this, Yami."

"Damn it, Seto", Yami growled in frustration and Seto suspected that the exaggerated hostility came from the other's worry for Yugi. "We can't avoid this so all I can do is get this duel started and hopefully Jou will snap out of it before it finishes."

Not really understanding how Yami could have such faith in Yugi, Seto latched on to another part of Yami's words that he could understand and said: "You don't think you can win."

"He's a machine", Yami snapped and yanked his arm from Seto's grip. "I still have no idea how his 'Darkness Assault' spell could ever be blocked or avoided."

Mouth pressing into a thin line, Seto only needed to think for a moment before he spoke out: "Let me duel him." Truth be told, if Jou getting hurt was an unavoidable evil, then Seto would very much prefer to be the one doing the hurting. It was the only way he could measure the amount of damage done and keep it to a minimum.

"No", Yami argued and Seto once again cursed his cousin's stupid pride. "This is _my_ fight."

"And Jou is _my_ lover", Seto shot right back. An angered flush had started to spread on Yami's cheeks and now the explosion it indicated broke out as the crimson-eyed teen exclaimed: "_No Seto!_"

"Seto?" The timid question almost escaped the attention of the two cousins, Yami's more so than Seto's, but their heads still turned as one to the direction of the voice and both of their eyes fell on Jou who had only just now arrived right next to them. His emotionless brown eyes were completely focused on Yami as he repeated: "Seto?"

"You…remember Seto?" Yami asked from the blond and Seto watched with fascination how Jou slowly nodded his head once, eyes never leaving Yami's face. And with that gesture Seto grabbed one of the dog sprite's shoulders and turned the other to face him, speaking out: "I'm Seto."

Anxiously the brunet waited for Jou's reaction. The blond's blank expression did not change but his head tilted to the side in the most adorable curious manner as the shorter boy studied Seto carefully. It actually worried Seto, the way it seemed to take so long for Jou to recognize him, and the brunet wondered how much of the other boy's persona and memories had been forced dormant by Mai's magic.

Finally, after a tediously long wait, Jou brought a hand to Seto's left cheek and spoke in a tone of voice that was equally lifeless to his eyes: "Yes, you are." Even with the unchanging tone, the blond's words were those of recognition, and that had to be some sort of proof of it not being impossible to help the half-sprite.

A soft, barely audible sigh escaped from between Seto's lips before the brunet brought his arms around the dog sprite and pulled the unresisting body flush against his own. He felt a wave of warmth course through him from the boy in his grasp and in the next moment the itchy feeling of dog-ears tickling his chin disappeared.

Knowing that the changing of shape indicated that Jou had forgotten all about the fight he was supposed to challenge Yami to, Seto glanced at his cousin over the form huddled against him. The star-haired teen gave the tall brunet a wistful smile before turning worried eyes toward the dark globe that had thickened too much for them to see the duel going on within. Only the flickers of the brightest spells broke through the shadows but it was not enough to tell them anything other than that the duel was still going on.

The two cousins' attention moved elsewhere when Ryou and Bakura joined them, the taller albino apparently having deemed the situation safe enough to allow Ryou near it. As Shizuka also approached slowly and curiously, eager to see her brother, the fair-faced one of the male pair looked at Jou worriedly while he fidgeted with his hands, giving Seto's face an expectant glance every couple of moments.

"My Ryou wants to know how our doggy friend is doing", Bakura spoke to Seto. The possessive reference to his counterpart would have made them all at least smile if it were not for the serious atmosphere. Because of that Seto kept himself from commenting on the matter as he simply replied: "He seems fine for the time being." The brunet squeezed the valuable treasure he had caught in his hold. "The rest is up to Yugi."

And those words brought all of the group's fears and worries to the light. It was terrible to think about but all of their fates, not only Jou's, depended on Yugi and the outcome of his battle against the witch Mai.

&

Yugi's eyesight had turned blurry and black blotches blocked his vision every time one of Mai's attacks hit home. The boy was tripping over his own feet as he tried to clumsily avoid the bird sprite's spells. The woman was a lot more agile and had clearly done this many times before. Yugi, on the other hand, was a novice.

"You should just give in, little Yugi", Mai's voice taunted as Yugi brought his hands together into a weak clap to launch an attack, which the witch easily dodged. "It would be a lot less painful than continuing on with this duel, I'm sure."

"I will never give up!" Yugi shouted back at the woman, clapping once more and the new attack actually managed to hit Mai, causing the witch the be knocked down by a sudden loss of balance, giving Yugi the time he needed to catch his breath and consider a plan.

There was not really much he could do, except hope to exhaust the witch, but it seemed that Yugi was the one getting exhausted as he wasted his energy on attacks that only bought him a few moments before Mai was all over him again.

Despite how very unsuitable the situation was for such things, Yugi could not help but remember the past. The boy remembered the time he was still a sprite and had been dreaming about being close to Yami. Yugi remembered how he had spent hours simply lying around, thinking about Yami, and he also remembered an utterance that he had come up with as a way to give himself hope even when he and his love had been apart. It had been a meaningless statement, really, but in this desperate situation Yugi could not help but speak it out, for now he needed hope more than ever before.

"Limitless Space…" Yugi mumbled quietly and looked up to see Mai throwing her hand back a moment before she swung it forward, shooting a bolt of lighting at Yugi. The former sprite repeated those same two words again and in the next instant Mai's attack vanished, like it had been swallowed by the impassable darkness that surrounded them.

Blinking in surprise, Yugi became aware that Mai was looking at him in a startled manner. The look disappeared quickly as the witch snarled and spat: "So it seems you do know a spell or two. Let's see if you have any other good ones!" The end of that last sentence was screamed out in a high-pitched screech as Mai launched a larger thunder attack that had various pale green tendrils spreading out into different directions. Yugi decided to try his luck one more time and repeated his spell. Once again Mai's spell was swallowed by a black hole.

Hope began to bloom in Yugi's heart when he realized that all of those hours spent in quiet contemplation had given him a spell needed for the channelling of his magic. Perhaps it was possible for him to win this battle after all. Yugi actually felt joyful at the prospect of Yami's love guiding him even when the crimson-eyed youth was not physically there. The memories revolving around his beloved had been his salvation and now they just might be the key to his victory as well.

It was about time he attacked as well, Yugi decided. This battle had gone on long enough and Yami was very likely to be worried sick about him, unless he was still facing against Jou. And there was another important reason for Yugi to finish this as soon as possible; Jou needed his freedom of thought back.

With these thoughts of dedication and duty Yugi lifted his hand as Mai launched a couple of quick attacks. The screams of the witch's spells were buried underneath a mighty call that Yugi had not know himself capable of releasing as the boy cast: "Star Fall!"

It was familiar, the light that enveloped the arena. This was the same spell Yugi had called forth when he had been missing his voice and the words he had now spoken were the ones that had been imprinted in his mind when a shower of light had defeated his opponents the last time. Along with that memory came the knowledge that Mai could not win against this spell, that this really, truly was the end. A shaky laugh bubbled from his mouth as the adrenaline faded from his body and Yugi's legs gave out, the tired boy sinking down on his knees on a marble floor that emerged as the shadows of the battle globe retreated.

"Yugi!" Yami's voice exclaimed and in the next instant arms were wrapped around his shoulders. "Yugi, Yugi! Are you alright?"

A dry sob erupted from Yugi's mouth at the sound of his dear Yami's voice. It was a happy sound, however and Yugi grinned widely, even if tiredly, as he turned his head so that his own half-lidded eyes met Yami's widened ones in a calming manner.

"Everything is fine", Yugi mumbled in a slightly dazed tone of voice. "I'm fine, and I won. I won, so everything is fine." A weak and short giggle escaped the boy then and he was cradled against Yami's chest as the taller teen murmured: "I'm proud of you, Yugi. You were wonderful, absolutely wonderful."

A sudden, horrified shriek caused both boys to jump and the startled Yugi felt adrenaline bring his focus back for a short while longer as his now wide eyes fell on a crumbled form lying on floor a short distance away.

Obviously this was Mai, even though she was hard to recognize with her soft blonde hair now grey and hanging limply around her head, looking completely opposite to the wavy curls of before. The witch rose to sit on her knees and her hair fell away from her face, the sight earning a gasp from Yugi and Ryou, who had followed Yami to Yugi along with his other half.

Mai's face was a far cry from the beautiful sight it had been before the battle; even when altered by her insanity Mai had been a beautiful woman, but now the bird sprite was a horrible sight to behold. Her skin looked like dried up and wrinkled paper, the kind that would turn into dust from a single poke. Her eyes were dulled into a colour that resembled grey more than the vibrant violet her magic had given her and her once-brilliant wings hung uselessly beside her body. Mai's healthy appearance had become thin and withered, and the witch looked like she was only being held together by whatever remained of her magical powers.

It was obvious what was happening; Mai was losing all of the youth, beauty and power she had gained by stealing souls through her contracts. A part of Yugi, the part that always empathised with people, felt pity for the woman, for it was obvious that her body would give out the moment the last of her bought and stolen powers left her. Still, Yugi knew that the woman had not been meant to live as long as she had, and he tried to comfort himself with that when those blind-looking eyes turned to Yugi and chapped lips opened.

The voice that came out of Mai's mouth was so terrifying that it would probably give Yugi nightmares for weeks to come. Raspy and scratchy and sounding so _dead_, the voice spat at Yugi: "All my contracts are hereby obsolete." A hitching gasp came from the once-powerful witch and Yugi realised that she was catching her breath, too weak to even speak anymore. And then Mai continued, sounding like she was delivering a curse even when she had not such powers anymore: "Including yours."

Those words were the last thing Yugi heard before he succumbed into darkness, getting swallowed whole with no way out.

**To be continued…**


	42. Sprites

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 42**

**Sprites**

_It is said that the first forms of magic were taught to human kind by strange beings: creatures that shared features of both humans and the animals of the forests they inhabited. Old stories call these beings 'sprites' and according to these tales they first introduced humans to the Element Reel, a new way of looking at the elements that had been previously preferred to as the Primary Lords. The Element Reel is the magical and always rotating centre of all humans' souls and the source of all the elements that form the world._

_According to old scripts, the Element Reel spins inside the soul of every sentient living being, stopping only for those who it has deemed worthy of an element of their own. Once the Element Reel has stopped on an element, this element becomes that person's magic. For the people who are capable of accessing deeper into these forces there exists a smaller reel with the upper elements showing upon its surface. These upper elements contain light, darkness, energy and the mystical aether. Some people are only able to active this second reel's element by abandoning the first reel but others have been able to master both elements and to utilize them in combat._

_There is very little plausible proof of the existence of these 'sprites' from any point of time during the existence of human society, but it has been proven that knowledge of the Element Reel was at first limited to a smaller group, who must have had instinctual knowledge on the subject of magic. This group then taught what they knew to the monks living in monasteries, believing that they would be the best ones to choose for the research needed for furthering the general knowledge of the Reel and magic. Where this instinctual knowledge came from is unknown, as is the nature of this mysterious magic-sensitive group. However, the general skill and knowledge of magic has certainly grown greater from those days of old._

A week had passed since the battle with Mai and yet the group was not as joyful as it should have been. The reason for this was very clear: Yugi had been stuck in a coma ever since Mai had crumbled into a pile of ashes on her throne room's floor. And what was more, the boy was back in his sprite form. The change had happened in the same instant Yugi had lost his consciousness and not even Sugoroku's library could tell them what was wrong or how to fix the situation.

The dark atmosphere in the Mutou household was understandable, for they were all worried about Yugi, but Yami was beyond dark. The human was very close to being depressed as he spent all his days beside Yugi's bedside and during the nights the teen curled up around the smaller boy, forcing the levitating body to meet the bed sheets.

During the week Yugi had been bedridden, Marik had made a full recovery. This was a big relief to Malik, who had been spending his time altering between standing in Yugi's room's doorway and sitting by the wolf-sprite's bed. Isis had been forever grateful to the help Mana had provided her in tending to her brother's wounds, which were not as bad as his bloodied appearance had led everyone to believe. It turned out that the worst damage had been done to the wolf's mind, which had become clear when Marik had immediately assaulted Malik after being lucid for the first time in three days. Malik had ended up with a dislocated shoulder, something Marik seemed unable to stop apologising about.

The experience had been painful physically but Malik had been able to let go of any emotional hurt after the realization that Marik had been simply devastated over what had happened. The wolf sprite had even explained to Malik how he had been an extremely impulsive and violent person until he had realized just how easy it was for him to hurt the few people he cared about with his immense strength. Because of that Marik had allowed his sister to help him to control his violent impulses. Both males had decided that they were grateful to Isis for that.

The one downside for Marik waking up had been that the wolf sprite had been absolutely certain that Malik felt for him, since there was no other reason for the fox to have watched over him in such a worried manner. The fear of almost losing the other sprite allowed Malik to let this slide. He was giving his feelings a chance even though he had not spoken to Marik about the matter yet.

Being unable to converse seemed to be the main problem with the two sprites at the moment. It was obvious that Marik wished to have a discussion, and perhaps even start a relationship, but Malik did not wish to as much as spare the subject a single thought.

With the dull atmosphere that had taken the Mutou household over, no one was very keen to spend much time in the house. Hiroto and Otogi were rarely seen in the house, if at all, and Bakura and Ryou seemed to have taken permanent resident on the back porch of the large mansion as a way to find a break during daytime. And as for Seto and the half-sprite siblings, as Malik passed by the living room the entire group was revealed to be positioned there, as they had been more often than not during the week.

Seto was sitting in the middle of the couch with his head rolled back, the brunet apparently asleep. Shizuka was sitting on the brunet's right side while Jou occupied his left one, and the two siblings were both leaning on a shoulder each and holding hands with one another as they spoke in hushed tones so as not to disturb the third member of their group.

Deciding that he should go visit his brother now that everyone else seemed to be occupied, Malik made his way to the front door. He did not get any further than laying his hand down on the door handle when Marik jumped up right beside him, causing Malik to yelp and leap to the side, away from the wolf.

"Where are you going?" Marik immediately questioned and Malik growled back: "Out. Why aren't you with your sister?"

"Isis has buried herself in the books in the library again", Marik answered in a manner that indicated that the subject did not hold much interest to the wolf. Which it probably did not. Malik had learned that it was typical of Marik to think that he could ignore everything else in Malik's presence as long as he knew for a fact that Isis was safe.

A sigh escaped from Malik, the fox losing a mental battle, before the shorter male grumbled: "Would you like to join me?"

"You bet", Marik replied with a wide grin. Another sigh was released by the fox sprite but even so, Malik's lips twitched upwards at the happy expression. There was just something about the way Marik always grinned at him that never failed to improve Malik's mood.

As soon as the mansion door clicked shut behind the duo, Malik felt a weight leave his shoulders. His worry for Yugi still lingered in his mind but he was now able to push it aside enough to catch a moment of peace. The fox sprite started to lead the way through the village, Marik keeping up with him easily.

"Malik", Marik spoke out soon and the shorter blond gave a hum of acknowledgement. "Isis and I are planning to go looking for our home village. I want you to come with us."

"What?" Malik questioned incredulously, turning a disbelieving gaze to the other sprite. "Surely you're joking! I can't leave Kirusae, especially now when Yugi's trapped in a coma!"

"We're not leaving yet", Marik replied instantly. "Believe it or not, I want to make sure that the runt comes out of this alright first." The wolf looked at Malik and the fox sprite was startled to see the pleading look those dark eyes held as Marik finished: "Please, come with me."

"I…" Malik uttered, turning his face away as he felt his cheeks beginning to burn at the way the other was looking at him so intently. "I will think about it", the fox managed to get out. If he allowed himself to think about it, he actually did want to go with Marik to see if there still was another village of sprites hidden away. He also wanted to be with Marik, but that was something he did not wish to dwell on.

&

Yugi had not woken up once during the week that passed after Mai's defeat. Yami was by far the one most worried about the boy but all of the cat sprite's friends were anxiously waiting for his recovery. Jou, for one, could not help but glance at doorways all the time, hoping that Yugi would simply walk into the room healthy and happy. Seto had once made a comment on how it was impossible for Yugi to live on when his body did not get any nourishment and Jou had been ready to beat his boyfriend into a pulp for such terrible words. Sugoroku had put the blond's worries to a rest, however, by explaining to the humans that Yugi's situation was not the first of its kind, and that the forest took care of its own. Jou guessed that this was somewhat similar to the way the forest made sure that sprites' magic never became depleted.

It seemed like time had frozen over, the way each day was so similar to the previous one. A couple of times Jou had wondered if the Forest Song spell Marik had cast on the night they had left had faded away, but the wolf sprite assured them all that the spell would not simply 'fade' as long as there was no outside interference.

In the steady, dull atmosphere that had taken over the entire village Jou found himself with too much time to think and worry. The rest of their group was feeling the same and everyone had their own way of handling it. Most spent their time away from the house that was the centre of all the doom and gloom and Seto had ended up raiding Sugoroku's home library, even though he mostly complained about how useless the thick volumes could be. Usually Seto brought a book with him to the living room where Jou and Shizuka would proceed to talk to each other over the brunet's unresponsive form. A couple of times already Seto had decided to simply lay his book down and fall asleep on the couch. Neither Shizuka nor Jou really minded; Shizuka never seemed to care much about these things and Jou was happy as long as he could just be near Seto.

Jou did not remember much of his time under Mai's control, but he often received flashbacks of unwanted hands wandering his body, touching him in places they should not. Because of this Jou wished to be close to Seto constantly, since the brunet's mere presence seemed to be enough to chase the violated feelings away.

Even at the present moment Jou was curled up beside his dozing lover and felt the other's calm state lure him near sleep as he conversed with his younger sister, who enjoyed his and Seto's company immensely. As Jou held the girl's smaller hand within his own, the blond thought about all the time they had wasted. Truth be told, his conversations with Shizuka were mostly about getting to know each other. Jou loved his sister unconditionally, there was no doubt of that, but the two of them hardly knew each other after spending so many years apart. They both had missed out on the other growing up and because of this Jou was determined to keep the conversation going even as his eyes refused to stay open.

Suddenly the blond jumped awake, not even realizing that he had fallen asleep. Brown eyes blinked blearily open and Jou saw that Shizuka had been the one to wake him up. The girl looked satisfied with Jou's state of consciousness and spoke: "Sugoroku-san wants to talk to you."

It took a moment for the words to settle in with Jou's half-awake state, but soon enough the blond turned his head to see the man in question standing next to the couch. Seeing that Jou was now paying attention, Sugoroku spoke: "I have something I would like to show you."

With a slow nod Jou made to get up off the couch, hesitating briefly as he wondered if it was alright to simply leave Seto by himself. The wandering of his gaze clued Sugoroku in on his thoughts and the old sprite spoke out: "It would be better if it were only you and your sister."

Jou nodded his head again and the gesture was surer this time, even though the blond would not have wanted to leave Seto's side, the fact that he was tired the lesser one of his reasons. Even with those feelings Jou paddled after Sugoroku and Shizuka, who were already halfway out of the living room. It unnerved the blond sometimes, the way Shizuka seemed to prefer her sprite form to her human one. The girl would have to get out of that habit before they went home.

Sugoroku led the two siblings out of the mansion and through Kirusae, not showing any signs of stopping when the town gates came within their sights. That was when Jou knew for certain that whatever it was that Sugoroku wanted to show them was out in the forest, and this made the blond curious. What could possibly out there that would interest him or Shizuka?

The trio made its way to east of the village and it seemed that they would be going far. Jou soon grew tired of only hearing his own footsteps in the grass and in the next instant his feet lifted off of the ground as he exchanged his human form for the sprite one. The change now came easily to him since the blond had done it many times while under Mai's control.

It turned out that Jou had made the change just in time, when the group came across a large batch of thorn bushes. They easily got over the plants and came to a stone that had been carved into a smooth obelisk shape. It was not a large rock, barely taller than Shizuka and slightly slimmer than the width of the girl's shoulders, but something about the setting told Jou that there was something special about the place.

The stone was set in the middle of a small clearing. The clearing was a perfect round shape and was devoid of any plants other than the circle of field flowers that grew right next to the obelisk. The grass on the clearing was short, trimmed to perfection with what had to be magical means.

"What is this place?" Jou questioned suddenly, his voice quieting without him even realizing it. There was just something about the clearly magical place that demanded for silence. Expectant brown eyes met Sugoroku's sombre purple ones and the old sprite spoke gently: "Read the inscription."

Blinking in surprise, Jou turned his gaze to the obelisk and for the first time the blond noticed that there were words carved on the pure white marble surface. Curiously the boy made his way to the stone and pressed a hand to the cool object as he read the two short words written there.

A strangled gasp escaped from the boy's mouth as he pulled back, a quiver running down the hand hovering mere inches away from the cool stone. His breaths came as uneven gasps and he became painfully aware of Shizuka's calm presence right beside him. This was their mother's grave they were facing and the girl was not reacting in any way. A quick glance to the side revealed that green eyes were looking at him with sadness and a hint of pity. Shizuka was sad for Jou but she was otherwise untouched by grief, having had too little memories of their mother to be affected by this revelation strongly. Jou on the other hand…

"I found her collapsed in the woods near the village", Sugoroku's voice explained in a soft voice. "I immediately recognized her as Subaru's daughter but it was too late to save her. The least I could do was give her a proper burial."

All Jou could give as a response was a mute nod of his head, since he feared that his voice would break if he spoke a single word. Naturally he was curious to know more about this 'Subaru', his grandfather, but somehow the knowledge of a new relative did not completely reach him when he was feeling so miserable. Perhaps he had hoped, deep down, that his mother was still alive somewhere but seeing her grave had been a reality check Jou did not think he had really needed or wanted.

Jou was barely aware of it when Shizuka dragged him away from the gravestone and Sugoroku began leading the way back to Kirusae. None of them spoke a single word until the familiar shimmer of the village protection blurred the world around them momentarily. That was when Shizuka's voice broke the silence, querying about the Subaru person Sugoroku had mentioned. Sugoroku explained that Subaru was an inhabitant of another sprite village, positioned deep within the reaches of the large forest. Jou wondered if the village was the same one Marik was from but could not bring himself to be too curious. The blond had his doubts about his grandfather wanting to meet the half-breed children of his dead daughter.

Seto had woken up during the visit to the grave. Jou became aware of this fact when the instant he stepped into the house he was dragged away by the brunet in question, who proceeded to ask Jou where he had went off to like that and how the blond could have been so inconsiderate as to vanish without a word to Seto. Lastly the tall teen questioned if Jou was alright, commenting on how pale he looked. And at that point Jou could no longer hold his tears back as he broke into tearful sobs and sunk against Seto's chest. The blond would forever feel embarrassed about the way he mumbled "mummy", into his boyfriend's shirt but Seto never brought it up, somehow understanding exactly what was going on as he held Jou tight in his strong arms.

&

A bunch of ruckus coming from the hallway had woken Yami up from his slumber. The teen was very peeved about this, for he had not been able to sleep much with his worry and the one time he had simply collapsed from exhaustion his sleep was interrupted. However, even though normally Yami would have gone out there to give whoever it was that had yelled a piece of his mind, now he simply did not have the strength to do so. Yami was unwilling to leave the shelter of the darkened room, even though the small rays of light sneaking in from behind the curtains told the teen that it was past midday already.

Before Yami could sink back into despair or oblivion, whichever would have come first, movement from beneath his arm caught his attention. The small body Yami had been clutching to himself for a week now had been completely unmoving and unresponsive up until that moment and Yami found himself gasping in shock when he realized that Yugi was stirring.

"Y-Yugi?" Yami whispered hesitantly, his voice hoarse from sleep and disuse. The boy rolled over and the other's twisting face came into Yami's full view. Tears of relief dribbled down Yami's face and onto the pillow below as the teen spoke in a rasp: "Wake up, Yugi."

In the next instant amethyst eyes opened blearily and a strangled sob erupted from Yami's lips. At the confused look Yugi was giving him, the taller teen uttered: "It's daytime already, Yugi. Time to get up." The human boy even managed to accompany his words with a playful grin, even though it was a weak one.

"Yami?" Yugi mumbled sleepily, his thin brows furrowing in an adorable manner as he struggled to remember what had happened before he had fallen asleep. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, clarity came into those dazed orbs and the cat sprite spoke breathlessly: "I…defeated Mai, didn't I?"

"Yes, Yugi", Yami replied and brushed a couple of stray locks away from his beloved's face. "You did. Mai is no more."

A bright smiled came over Yugi's face, his cheeks glowing with joy as he said: "That's such a relief. For a moment I thought it had all been a dream."

"It wasn't", Yami assured the other, twirling the sprite's golden locks around his fingers. "But you have been dreaming for a week straight, Yugi. You collapsed after the battle and we have all been so worried."

A frown crossing over his face, Yugi sat up and muttered: "Really? I was out for that long?" The boy then looked himself over for the first time while Yami sat up to come eye to eye with the boy again, and a disbelieving splutter escaped the shorter male, followed by an incredulous exclamation: "Why am I a sprite again?"

"When you defeated Mai, all of the deals she had made were broken off", Yami explained gently, grasping one of Yugi's hands within his own to offer comfort. "That included the contract you had made to become human."

Yugi stared at Yami in silent comprehension for a while, and then turned his face away as he tugged at his hair and cried: "Then who was it that won in the end? We still can't be together despite everything we've been through!"

"Yugi…" Yami muttered, bringing his free hand to the sprite's chin and turning the other's face to his. "I love you. Nothing is going to change that, least of all this."

Slowly, Yugi's eyes closed as the boy took a deep breath. Then the sprite sighed, opening his eyes with a lot calmer look on his face. Yugi even managed to smile at Yami as he spoke: "You really are amazing, Yami. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Even though Yugi's words were sincere and full of adoration, they cut Yami right into his heart, for the human was painfully aware of the reality, the reality in which Yugi would find out exactly what he would do without Yami.

&

Yugi's awakening had been a cause for joy, but the welcoming hugs the boy received were a bit tighter than they were supposed to be, clearly holding an air of farewell to them, and the wide smiles never shone in anyone's eyes the way they normally would have. It was obvious that everyone had come to the conclusion that Yugi and Yami's fairytale love would end here, to this obstacle they could not overcome. Yami may have still loved Yugi, and Yugi knew that he would always love Yami, but that did nothing to change the fact that they were of different species now, both unable to live in the other's world.

In the end Yugi simply could not handle being the centre of everyone's attention any longer. The boy ended up hiding himself in the kitchen, sitting underneath the table in order to avoid being found. It was not much use in the end, however, for soon afterwards a figure crouched down right next to Yugi's hiding place, murky green eyes staring into his own amber ones with silent sympathy.

"You can grow to live with it", Shizuka spoke in a small, sorrowful voice and Yugi was startled at the amount of emotion the girl was displaying. Before the battle with Mai, Shizuka had not been showing any signs of having any kind of a personality. Having been out of commission for a week, Yugi was faced with the full effect of the change the girl had gone through.

"What are you talking about?" Yugi questioned, having recovered from his wonder enough to voice his confusion.

Shizuka was silent for a moment and crawled underneath the desk to sit beside Yugi before she replied: "You can go on even when you have to let go of the people you love." The girl hugged her knees to her chest, watching Yugi underneath her red hair as she continued: "I know I can't go with Katsuya, even though I would really like to go home. I couldn't fit in among all those humans. I've known it all along but I don't think Katsuya realizes this."

The name Shizuka used confused Yugi for a moment, before the boy remembered that 'Katsuya' was Jou's first name. It was just that no one but Shizuka used that particular name to refer to the blond. Knowing very well that his friend would not let his sister go without a fight, the cat sprite spoke out: "I don't think Jou will agree with you on that."

"I know he won't", Shizuka answered deadpan, without the slightest pause. "He loves me and with every new thing I've learned about him, I've grown to love him more. But love isn't enough, even though for him it seems to be." The girl smiled then, and Yugi could clearly see the love that had grown in the girl in only a week. "He could fight against Mai's control simply because he loves Seto so much. It's so amazing, how love can be so powerful, and yet it can't help in a situation like ours."

Unable to argue with the girl, Yugi simply nodded his head in agreement. There did not seem to be many options available for him and Yami, except to learn to cope with loving each other from afar. It was unfair, but it was also the truth.

"But, even so…" Shizuka started to speak suddenly, startling Yugi, who had thought that she was done speaking now. The girl did not seem to notice how Yugi jumped in surprise, even though she stared straight at him, and continued: "Even though your love for Yami can't allow you to be with him and even though my love for Katsuya isn't enough for me to learn to be human, I don't think they are useless or worthless emotions." The dog sprite reached out a hand and grasped a tight hold of Yugi's wrist, like she was trying to stop the boy from leaving. "I think that my love for Katsuya will be enough to help you."

"What are you saying?" Yugi queried, feeling slightly alarmed by the odd situation. "I don't follow."

Suddenly those too old green eyes were boring right into Yugi's own as Shizuka spoke in a tone of voice that was almost uncharacteristically strong for her: "I don't want to hurt my brother by simply telling him that I don't want to go with him. However, there is a way I can give us both a solution." The girl's eyes started glow at that point and Yugi felt himself starting to grow dizzy. "I will transport my capability for a human form to you, Yugi. I will not be able to become human again afterwards so I will _have_ to stay here. Katsuya will understand that I wanted to help you, and I do. Let me help you with the small bit of soul magic I was able to learn from Mai."

Shizuka's speech had been Yugi's primary focus point until it stopped. After that all the boy was aware of was just how nauseous he felt and how he was going to throw up everything his grandfather had forced him to eat after waking up. But, before Yugi's body could give into that reaction it shut down, leading Yugi tumbling into darkness once more. The boy's last thought before succumbing to the pull that brought him submerged was a sour recollection of how all of his experiences with soul magic had lead into him losing consciousness.

_**To be continued…**_

Ending Notes: Okay, I must say that I'm not exactly happy with the number of reviews I received for the last chapter, especially since it was the story climax and all. I expect you people to be more active on this one, considering that this chapter is super-long and that I updated within a week after my last one.

There's still a short epilogue coming up before the end, don't miss it!


	43. Humans

The Little Sprite

**The Little Sprite**

**Chapter 43**

**Humans**

"So, what do you think?" Yami questioned from Yugi, smiling at the boy from across the table in the dining room of their house. It was a fairly new building in the town of Faubry, which was positioned East from Aura Forest. They had had their life-changing adventure a bit over a year ago and Yugi had just finished his second year in the Lorestone Academy, while Yami had not been a student in the school for half a year now.

"I think it's a wonderful idea", Yugi conceded with a nod of his head. "I'd love to visit Kirusae during my vacation. It will be great to see my friends again." 'Friends' stood for his sprite comrades as well as Otogi, who had surprisingly enough abandoned all of his obligations after graduation and had moved into Kirusae to be with Hiroto. The raven-haired teen's only family was his father, who he did not have a good relationship with, so disappearing off the face of the earth had been unexpectedly easy for him. Yami, on the other hand, would have never been able to do that if Shizuka had not been able to give Yugi a human form.

Speaking of the girl, Shizuka had settled in quite nicely at Kirusae, having made good friends with Mana. Sugoroku had been happy to keep the girl when Subaru had refused to have any contact with his runaway daughter's offspring; the Mutou mansion had tended to feel awfully large and empty with only the old man and Mana living there.

Yugi and Yami had made sure to stay in touch with their friends; Sugoroku had given them a magic mirror, using Mai's old mirror as a model, to make keeping in contact as easy as a phone call was for humans. At first Yugi had made sure to get in contact with his grandfather about once a week, keeping the old man up to date about the process of him getting settled in into the human world. After his first school year the 'calls' had started to be farther apart when Sugoroku learned to trust in his grandson more.

It seemed that their adventure had made the two of them very close to people they might have never made friends with otherwise. And those bonds of friendship were powerful, like friendships forged through life-changing experiences tended to be.

Bakura and Yami still had a rivalry of sorts going on between them but they were still keeping in touch, even after Bakura and Ryou had moved together into a larger city, since the both of them had been city-born to begin with.

Malik was one of the people Yugi did not fear from as often as he would have wanted to. Yami understood that Malik was Yugi's childhood friend and that Yugi missed him, but the crimson-eyed youth also knew that Malik was not in Kirusae often enough to 'call' Yugi frequently, since the fox sprite had moved to live with Marik in the wolf's home village, which they had managed to find, even though Marik and Isis' father had been revealed to have passed on during the time Isis and Marik had been Mai's property. Isis had been sorry to hear that but Marik had spared no sympathies for the man that had fathered them and then sold his sister to a witch.

While Yami was thinking about his friends, he remembered something else and spoke to Yugi: "Anzu called here yesterday and invited us for lunch later this week."

Anzu had been surprised when Yami had told her that he was dating Yugi, after which she had displayed disappointment on Yami's failure to inform her that he was not interested, for the girl had been under the impression that Yami had merely been playing hard to get because his cousin did not like her. Yami had tried to redeem herself in the eyes of one of his oldest friends and his more or less embarrassing attempts had ended with Anzu bursting into laughter and telling Yami that there was nothing to forgive and that their friendship was strong enough to overcome her silly, immature crush.

"I'd like that a lot", Yugi replied to Yami's words and Yami could not help but smile. Yugi was very fond of Anzu and the feeling had become mutual very soon after the two had gotten to know each other better. Yugi admired Anzu for her ability to move on, while Anzu seemed to simply adore Yugi, calling him 'little brother' whenever the two males visited her.

"Then it's settled", Yami concluded as he took a sip of his green tea. The sound of footsteps caught Yami's attention and the crimson-eyed teen lifted his gaze to the kitchen doorway to see Jou entering, his left cheek littered with wrinkles from his bed sheets while he rubbed sleep out of his eyes.

"Morning, Jou", Yugi greeted the blond cheerfully, even though worry was etched into the amethyst-eyed boy's voice. There was a nod from Jou before the blond stumbled to the table, sitting down and immediately blurting out: "Has Seto called?"

Yami had been expecting that question, actually. Those were pretty much the only words that had come out of the blond's mouth during his now three-day visit at the house. When Jou had appeared on their doorstep, looking like a mess, Yami had immediately called his cousin and the wrong one, Mokuba, had answered. Seto's younger brother had told Yami that their father had caught Seto and Jou together and was demanding Seto to end the relationship, something the brunet had not been willing to do. Seto was trying to change his father's mind, had been for three days now, and during that time Jou had been living with Yugi and Yami, since the blond really could not take care of himself with the current situation.

Jou seemed to cease to function properly when he was separated from Seto. Yami suspected it to have something to do with how the memory of Seto had kept Jou hanging on when Mai's magic had been pulling him into oblivion. Yami thought that he could relate to those feelings, since he had been but a shadow of his own self during the time Yugi had been in a coma.

"Seto won't give up", Yami said to Jou, like he said every time Jou queried about the brunet. "I know for certain that Seto is too stubborn for even his father to handle."

There was a nod from Jou but the blond did not say anything. Yami had not expected him to. Yugi, who was sitting next to the blond, petted the hands resting on the table in a comforting manner before standing up and signalling with his hand for Yami to follow, which the taller male did. Jou had preferred his own company during his days at the house and, as sad as it was to admit, Yami was relieved to get away from Jou's gloomy mood.

Once the two were in the sitting room Yugi immediately clutched onto Yami, hugging the other desperately. Yami knew that the boy's limitless ability for empathy brought this on and held Yugi against him gently. Yugi was both feeling sorry for Seto and Jou, and fearing for him and Yami at the same time. Yami had reassured the boy before and reassured him again: "My father already knows about us, Yugi, and he's fine with it. He's a different man from my uncle."

Yugi seemed to be calming down, but Yami figured that some time out of the house might do the boy good, so he spoke: "How about we go take a stroll around town? I'm sure Jou won't even notice our disappearance."

Yugi nodded his head to the suggestion before he spoke: "Alright, but don't talk that way about Jou. He could still kick your butt for it."

"But it's the truth", Yami said as he led the way to the front door. "Not to mention I don't think Jou has the willpower to kick anyone's butt."

The duo left through the door and while Yugi closed it behind them Yami glanced across the front lawn and blinked in surprise at the car that had parked there. The confused look on his face turned into one of surprise when the driver side door opened and the familiar tall form of his cousin emerged from the car.

"Look, Yugi", Yami spoke as his love walked up next to him. "It seems that Seto reached a conclusion with his father."

"And he couldn't call before he came?" Yugi huffed, but not too angrily. It was obvious that the boy was glad to see the brunet and Yami shared those feelings. Now the only thing left to find out was if Jou would have a reason to be happy as well.

"Morning cousin, Yugi", Seto spoke as he walked up to the two of them, giving a nod of greeting to each.

"Hello, Seto", Yugi greeted in a cheerful manner, while Yami gave a more subdued greeting. The taller star-haired male then proceeded to ask: "Did your father change his mind?"

The only answer Seo gave Yami was a smirk and Yami grinned widely before tilting his head to indicate to the house behind him and speaking: "Jou's inside."

"Thank you", Seto said and strode past them quickly. Yami and Yugi both watched the brunet disappear into the house before looking at each other and smiling.

Love may not have been all-powerful, but it certainly seemed to be powerful enough, Yami mused, not knowing that Yugi was sharing the exact same thoughts.

_**The End**_

Ending Notes: There it is, the end of "The Little Sprite". I'm not sure whether I should be relieved or sad. At any matter, I could have written a lot of stuff about the aftermath for the characters, but I think that this will do; it's time to move on. Speaking of which, I will now be starting off a new YGO story. It will be called "Dream Prince" and it'll be based off of the animated movies "Mulan" and "Swan Princess". A proper summary would go along these lines…

Yugi and Atemu are two princes engaged to be married, but Atemu isn't warming up to the idea. But right when Atemu changes his mind Yugi's home kingdom goes through a hostile take-over and the prince vanishes. A year later Atemu sees his chance to go after the person he believes to have murdered his fiancée; the only thing he needs to do is train his own army forces to do it. Unbeknownst to him, however, prince Yugi is alive and under the disguise of one of his new soldiers.

I really hope you all enjoyed "The Little Sprite", and that you will be around for my new project! Thank you for all your wonderful reviews, especially the ones for the previous chapter; they really encouraged me on through these last chapters.


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